MO. 64 Philine orientalis (Oriental Sea Slug)

 

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Order: Cephalaspidea

Family: Philinidae

Genus: Philine

Species: orientalis

 

Description:

         It is native to the Western Pacific from Russia, Japan, China, Thailand, Java, and the Philippines. It has been introduced to California. Its global range spans warm to cold temperate climates where it can be found from the lower intertidal to depths of 180 m on sand, mud, and eelgrass beds.

    It has a well-developed headshield, which is wedge-shaped, but rounded anteriorly, and comprising about 2/3 of the body length. The posterior end of the body is rounded when the gills are extended and squarish when the gills are partially contracted. They feed on bivalves most of the time.

 

IUCN Status: Not evaluated.