This species has been observed on Reunion, Mauritius, Mayotte, Madagascar and Seychelles Islands

Order : Anaspidea Superfamily: Aplysioidea Family : Aplysiidae Distribution : Indo-West Pacific Maximal size : 400 mm Abundance : From time to time on the reef flat zone and on the rocky coast. Species characteristics : The head is narrow and the body increase in width and height to just over two-thirds of the length of the animal where it ends abruptly and slopes sharply down. ( flattened disk on the posterior surface of the animal ) Dolabella is quite variable in colour but it is always mottled shades of green and brown which make it extremely well camouflaged in nature.
	Showing species characteristics...	Photo Philibert Bidgrain Réunion, Etang salé lagoon, less 1 m, 28 March 2006, size 70-80 mm

See more about : Sightening and mating periods
   See more about : Dolabella auricularia variability in Southwest Indian ocean
   See more about : Dolabella auricularia or Dolabella gigas that is the question ?

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Nathalie Yonow
    Dolabella auricularia and D. gigas are described from our area, but at this time the three internal shell collected on specimens from Reunion ( M. Jay and P. Bidgrain) and Mauritius ( N. Yonow) corresponded to Dolabella auricularia description, so, we considered that all these specimens are D. auricularia until we find D. gigas shell. See, Dolabella auricularia or Dolabella gigas that is the question ? for more détails...
    If you find a dead specimen, please take it and contact me. I will be interest by its shell...
    Synonymous : (according Worms)
               - Aplysia caudata Rang, 1828                                - Dolabella gigas (Rang, 1828)
               - Aplysia gigas Rang, 1828                                    - Dolabella rumphii Blainville, 1819
               - Aplysia teremedi Rang, 1828                               - Dolabella scapula (Martyn, 1786)
               - Aplysia truncata Rang, 1828                                - Patella auricularia Lightfoot, 1786
               - Dolabella callosa Lamark, 1801                           - Patella scapula Martyn, 1786
               - Dolabella ecaudata (Rang, 1828)                    

Bibliographic data :

Some reports suggest the body of D. auricularia is covered with flattened warts without papillae "wart form", while other reports say this species has papillae "papillate form".

In Dolabella the back, or posterior end of the body is a sloping disc-like shield, with one large exhalant siphon in the middle. In the midline, in front of the shield is a smaller groove which houses the inhalant siphon which draws water in to the almost totally enclosed mantle cavity.

The foot is sharply marked off from the sides of the body. The underside of the animal (muscular sole of the foot.), is brown to yellowish.
    During the day it is found under coral heads or stone, and emerges at night to forage. It is normally found in sheltered bays or lagoons, in grass beds or on sand or mud. It can also be found in large intertidal rockpools.
    It feeds on a variety of brown green and red macroalgae and Pennings et al (1993) suggest that Dolabella actively maintains a mixed diet in preference to feeding on a single species of algae.
    This sea hares often forming mating chains of 3 or more animals where the ones in the middle are acting as males and females simultaneously
    The spawn ressembles to Aplysia dactylomela
    The animal gives off copious amounts of a purple ink when disturbed. Sea Hares have two main secretory glands in their mantle cavity, one we call the Purple Gland lies on the roof of the cavity, above the gill. It usually produces a purple secretion but can also produce a white ink in some species. This is not to be mistaken for the white milky secretions of the Opaline Gland which lies beneath the gill on the floor of the mantle cavity (see Anaspidea).

Material examined by Nathalie Yonow ( see reference/publications).

One specimen collected from Peyreybere (Mauritius), 1 October 1985, size : 200 mm. Flic en Flac (Mauritius), 15 October 1985, size : 200 mm. Tamarin, many specimens observed but not collected.

References :

Bill Rudman Seaslug site : Sea Slug Forum : Dolabella auricularia
   Nudipixel Dolabella auricularia

Publications :

Bebbington,A (1974) Aplysiid species from East Africa with notes on the Indian Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 54 : 63-99.
    Bebbington, A., 1977. Aplysiid species from eastern Australia with notes on the Pacific Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda, Opistobranchia). Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. 34 1: 87-147.
    Eales, NB (1946) Aplysiids from the Indian Ocean, with a review of the family Aplysiidae. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 26: 1-22
    Engel, H (1942) The genus Dolabella . Zoologische Mededeelingen Museum , Leiden, 24: 197-239
    Pennings, SC; Nadeau, MT; Paul, VJ (1993): Selectivity and growth of the generalist herbivore Dolabella auricularia feeding upon complementary resources. Ecology, 74(3), 879-890.
    Yonow, N. and Hayward , P. J. (1991). Opistobranches de l'île Maurice, avec la description de deux espèces nouvelles (Mollusca : Opistobranchia) Revue française d'aquariologie herpétologie, 18 (1), 1-30

Other photos of Dolabella auricularia :

Philibert Bidgrain Réunion, Etang salé, on the rocky coast, less 1 m, 16 November 2005, size : 130-150 mm (a) External autospermal groove (b) Inhalant siphon. In the midline, in front of the shield is a smaller groove which houses the inhalant siphon (c) Exhalant siphon. On posterior end of the body is a sloping disc-like shield, with one large exhalant siphon in the middle

Philibert Bidgrain A large typical "papillate form"... Rarely found in our Islands...                                   Réunion, Trois bassins, less 1 m, found under a rock, 7 November 2006, size : 250 mm.

Philibert Bidgrain   Réunion, Trois bassins, less 1 m, under a rock, 7 November 2006, size : 250 mm	The foot is sharply marked off from the sides of the body. The underside of the animal (muscular sole of the foot.), is brown to yellowish. Réunion, Etang salé, on the rocky coast, less 1 m, 11 December 2006, size : 250 mm.

Philibert Bidgrain Réunion, Etang salé on a rocky coast, less 1 m, 11 January 2007, size : 15-18 mm. Two juveniles found under a rock, on a permanent pool

David Caron Pointe d'esni lagoon, Mauritius, 1,5 m, 19 January 2008. Crawling on a sandy substrate, during the night... In Dolabella the back, or posterior end of the body is a sloping disc-like shield, with one large exhalant siphon in the middle

Eva Fontaine Mtsanga Mboueanatsa, Mayotte, on the reef flat zone, less 1 m , 2 August 2008, size : 40-50 mm (a) Cephalic (oral) tentacle (b) Rhinophores (c) Eye (d) May be a internal parasite ???? A similar "abnormality" was observed in Sonia Ribes Beaudemoulin specimen from Trois Bassins...

Philippe Bourjon Réunion, Trou d'eau lagoon, less 1 m, 31 October 2009, size : 80-90 mm. The animal gives off copious amounts of a purple ink by the exhalent siphon, when disturbed.

	Mathias Deuss   Puddles in front of the"mangrove des aviateurs", Petite-Terre, Mayotte, less 1 m , 23 December 2010, size : 170 mm Traling behavior (b) and numerous spawns (a) observed on the same day...

See more about : Dolabella auricularia variability in Southwest Indian ocean
   See more about : Dolabella auricularia or Dolabella gigas that is the question ?
   Reunion, when Dolabella auricularia meets a fish, at Etang salé, by Philibert Bidgrain 
   Reunion, Dolabella auricularia with an abnormality, at Trois Bassins, by Sonia Ribes Beaudemoulin  
   Reunion, Dolabella auricularia with datk red brown coloration, at saint Gilles, by Philippe Bourjon  
   Reunion, Dolabella auricularia with deep green coloration, at Etang salé, by Philibert Bidgrain 
   Reunion, Dolabella auricularia with pale brown coloration, at Etang salé, by Philibert Bidgrain  
   Reunion, a papillate form of Dolabella auricularia, at Saint Gilles, by Sonia Ribes Beaudemoulin  
   Reunion, exhalant siphon of Dolabella auricularia, at Trois Bassins, by Philibert Bidgrain  
   Reunion, Dolabella auricularia, at Etang salé, by Christophe Cadet  
   Reunion, Dolabella auricularia produce purple ink, at Saint Gilles, by Philippe Bourjon  
   Reunion, head detail of Dolabella auricularia, at Saint Gilles, by Philippe Bourjon  
   Seychelles, Papillate form of Dolabella auricularia, at Mahé, by Christophe Mason-Parker
   Madagascar, Dolabella auricularia, at Nosy Bé, by Alain-Benoît Rassat
   Mauritius, two color form of Dolabrifera auricularia at Pointe d'Esny, by Geoffrey Summers