common sea hare vs Gray Field Slug

Aplysia punctata compared with Deroceras reticulatum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common sea hare	Gray Field Slug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class same	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Aplysiida (Aplysiida)	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)
Family	Aplysiidae	Agriolimacidae
Genus	Aplysia	Deroceras
Species	Aplysia punctata	Deroceras reticulatum

Evolutionary Relationship

common sea hare and Gray Field Slug share a common ancestor at the Class level: Gastropoda. (Gastropoda)

Conservation Status

common sea hare

LC — Least Concern

Gray Field Slug

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common sea hare	Gray Field Slug
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common sea hare

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Gray Field Slug

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Israel, Sri Lanka, Taiwan), Europe (11 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

common sea hare

<em>Aplysia punctata</em>, the common sea hare, is a large opisthobranch sea slug in the family Aplysiidae, order Aplysiida, found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, with confirmed records from Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. This species typically inhabits shallow subtidal and intertidal zones with abundant macroalgae, feeding primarily on red and green algae — a diet that influences the color of the defensive purple ink it secretes when threatened. <em>Aplysia punctata</em> is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, capable of acting as both male and female during mating, and often forms mating chains involving multiple individuals. It can reach considerable size among European opisthobranch species, though body dimensions vary considerably with age and feeding conditions. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting stable populations across its coastal range. Biological traits for this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, including precise average data on lifespan, body length, weight, and detailed seasonal dietary patterns, though its general herbivorous feeding on macroalgae is well established.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden