About Dolabrifera dolabrifera (Rang, 1828)
Dolabrifera dolabrifera, commonly called the warty seacat, is a flat species of sea hare that grows to around 10 cm long, with a maximum recorded length of 108 mm. Individuals are commonly spotted green or brown, but may also be reddish in color. The back half of the animal is typically wider and rounded, and the body narrows toward the head. Warty seacats are soft-bodied gastropods that have lost their protective protective shell over the course of evolution. While all species of sea hares have ink glands for chemical defense, Dolabrifera dolabrifera does not release ink. This species is found in warm tropical and subtropical waters. It lives in shallow, flat nearshore pools that contain large boulders. Individuals gather in groups underneath rocks in the intertidal zone. At night, warty seacats hide between cracks in the boulders. They emerge during the day when the tide rises. Their variable color and pattern make them hard to distinguish from other species sharing their habitat, and they are heavily preyed on in this habitat. The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m, and the maximum recorded depth is 3 m.
