Stylocheilus is a genus of sea slugs, specifically sea hares, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Stylocheilus Gould, 1852. Accessed on 2021-01-27.Bazzicalupo, E.; Crocetta, F.; Gosliner, T. M.; Berteaux-Lecellier, V.; Camacho-García, Y. E.; Chandran, B. K. S.; Valdés, Á. (2020). Molecular and morphological systematics of Bursatella leachii de Blainville, 1817 and Stylocheilus striatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 reveal cryptic diversity in pantropically distributed taxa (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Heterobranchia). Invertebrate Systematics. 34: 535-568.
According to some authors this genus belongs in the family Dolabriferidae.
Species Species in the genus Stylocheilus include: Stylocheilus polyomma (Mörch, 1863) Stylocheilus rickettsi (MacFarland, 1966) Stylocheilus striatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 Distribution : Indo-Pacific; intertidal, occurs up to 30 m depth Length : 65 mm Color : brownish, with blue spots; lined species, with dark longitudinal lines (as stated by its name striatus) and small eyespots, providing excellent camouflage. Description : Feeds on blue-green algae; gives off a purple ink when disturbed. Taxon inquirendum Stylocheilus longicauda Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 - Blue-ring Sea Hare, Lemon Sea Hare (used to be called Stylocheilus citrina) Distribution : circumtropical, Indo-West Pacific. Color : bright yellow or green with bluish eyespots, no lines. Description : This is one of the most specialized sea hares; elongate body with a long "tail" (as stated by its name longicauda), adapted for living on floating seaweed; feeds on Mermaid's Hair, blue-green algae of species Lynghya majuscula; at times, they are abundant, with several thousands crawling in the sand, traveling in chains ("snail trail") up to 10 m long Species brought into synonymy Stylocheilus citrinus (Rang, 1828) is a synonym of Stylocheilus longicauda (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) Stylocheilus lineolatus Gould, 1852: synonym of Stylocheilus longicauda (Quoy & Gaimard, 1825) Stylocheilus quercinus Gould, 1852
References
Rolán E., 2005. Malacological Fauna From The Cape Verde Archipelago. Part 1, Polyplacophora and Gastropoda
External links
Image of the Blue-ring Sea Hare 'Snail trail' of the Blue-ring Sea Hare Image of Stylocheilus striatus