Blue sea slug - Blue sea slug

A sea slug of the Doris family of the Gastropoda class of the Mollusca phylum. It is found from Honshu to Kyushu, and is most commonly found on rocky shorelines. Its body is long and slug-like, about 30 mm long. Its surface is smooth, and the base color of its mantle is indigo-blue, with a yellow vertical band down the center of its back and rows of yellow spots on both sides, with yellow edges as well. Its antennae are vermilion, with about 30 folds. Its gills are also vermilion, semicircular and surround the anus, and it has about 12 simple gill lobes. Its spawning season is from May to August, when it lays white ribbon-like eggs in a spiral pattern on the shorelines.

[Takashi Okutani]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

軟体動物門腹足綱ドーリス科のウミウシ。本州から九州にかけて分布し、岩磯(いわいそ)にもっとも普通にみられる。体は細長くナメクジ状で体長約30ミリメートル。体表は滑らかで外套(がいとう)の地色は藍青(らんせい)色、背の中央には黄色縦帯、その両側には黄色の斑列(はんれつ)があって周縁も黄色。触角は朱色で、約30個のひだがある。えらも朱色で半円形に肛門(こうもん)を囲み、鰓葉(さいよう)は12本内外の単葉状である。産卵期は5～8月で、磯に白いリボン状の卵を渦巻状に産み付ける。

［奥谷喬司］

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