The Warty Umbrella Snail, also known as Umbrella Slug, is a species in the family of the Umbraculidae and thus belongs to the class of the Gastropoda.
Description
Umbraculum umbraculum has a oval body with a mussel-like shell in the middle. This is usually covered by small plants and offers only little protection to the snail because it can not retract into the housing. Their colouration varies from brown to grey. On their mantle are numerous white to blue warts.
They reach a maximum size of 20cm in diameter.
Habitat and Distribution
The Warty Umbrella Snail lives on rocky or sandy ground, down to a depth of 80m. They are also found in caves quiet often. When diving in the Canaries you can observe it from time to time. In any case, I have observed it more often than many other species.
In addition, their distribution area extends over tropical and subtropical zones of the oceans and seas. There are sightings from the Mediterranean Sea, from Americas coasts, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Africa etc. However, it is still unclear whether it is a species or several subspecies.
Biology
Umbraculum umbraculum feeds on sponges such as Tethya spp., Aaptos aaptos, Ancorina alata and Plakina trilopha.
It is nocturnal and fluoresce.