Akera bullata, named the royal flush sea slug,[5] is a species of sea snail (or sea slug), a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Akeridae, a family that is related to the sea hares.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] This species is the only European representative of the genus Akera.
This species occurs from Norway to the Canaries, and also in the Mediterranean.[13][14][15]
This is a herbivorous bottom dweller (up to 370 m deep), which feeds on seagrasses in the genera Zostera and Posidonia.
The body has a maximum length of about 6 cm. Its color varies from gray to orange, with white or dark specks. Its fragile and smooth shell is white or brown. This sea hare is not an agile swimmer. It uses its broad parapodia (fleshy protrusions), held together funnelwise above the head, to paddle away when disturbed.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
Acera bullata is an orthographic variant[4] with considerable currency.
The NLBIF lists a large number of synonyms in addition to the above; including: Bulla akera (Gmelin, J.F., 1791),[24] Bulla norwegica (Bruguière, J.G., 1789),[24] Bulla canaliculata (Olivi, 1792), Bulla resiliens (Donovan, E., 1801),[24] Bulla fragilis (Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1822),[24] Akera flexilis (Brown, 1844), Bulla hanleyi (Adams A. in Sowerby G.B. II, 1850/1855),[24] Eucampe donovani (Leach, W.E., 1852),[24] Bulla elastica (Sandri & Danilo, 1856), Acera bullata var. nana (Jeffreys, 1867), Acera elegans (Locard, 1886), Bulla farrani (Norman, 1890), Bulla globosa (Cantraine, F.J., 1840),[24][25] Akera tenuis (Brusina, S., 1866)[24] and Akera farrani (Winckworth, R., 1932).[22][24][26][27]
Akera bullata, named the royal flush sea slug, is a species of sea snail (or sea slug), a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Akeridae, a family that is related to the sea hares. This species is the only European representative of the genus Akera.
