Aplysia maculata

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Aplysia maculata is a species of sea hare, a type of large sea slug in the family Aplysiidae. The body is oblong and convex, longer at the front and rounded at the back. The smooth mantle is olive-brown with many pale spots. It has medium-sized lateral lobes, a large siphon, pink gills, and a reddish operculum. The shell is small, oval, and deeply concave, mostly not heavily calcareous. The shell’s inner surface is reddish-brown and it has a thick, slightly curved apex.

The animal can swim using its mantle lobes, and when the lobes spread, the dorsal opening becomes wide and shows a reddish interior.

Distribution: This species occurs off the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.