Yellow Umbrella Slug – Tylodina perversa

Yellow-Umbrella-Slug-Tylodina-perversa-Gastropoda-diving-canary-islands-atlantic-ocean-canaries-species

The Yellow Umbrella Slug, also known as the Yellow Tylodina or the Yellow Umbrella Snail, is a species in the family range of the Tylodinidae and thus belongs to the class of the Gastropoda.

Description

Tylodina perversa has a yellow, corporeal body with four bulbs and a yellow-brown or black flat lid in the form of an umbrella.

It reaches a maximum size of 7cm in length.

Habitat and Distribution

The Yellow Umrella Slug lives in shallow water on golden sponges (Aplysina aerophoba). Sometimes they are also found elsewhere, probably looking for  a new sponge to live on.

When diving in the Canaries you can observe them very frequently

Its distribution area also covers the Azores, the British Isles, the Mediterranean Sea, the Northern Atlantic and the Eastern Atlantic.

Biology

Tylodina perversa feeds on the Yellow Tube Sponge (Aplysina aerophoba).

When there is a lot of water movement, they usually hide inside the golden sponge.

Although it looks like it has a housing, it belongs to the nudibranches. Their lid does not consist of lime but predominantly of protein. They are not able to retract into their shell.

Associated Species

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