Philinopsis


Philiopsis is a genus of often colorful, medium-sized sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. These are not nudibranchs; instead they are headshield slugs, in the clade Cephalaspidea.

Description

Animal: The head disk is large, oblong-oval to triangular in shape, and does not extend beyond the foot. Behind the head disk, the body forms a convex, fleshy lobe that begins beneath the overlapping head disk and extends to or just past the posterior portion of the foot. This lobe is truncated at the rear, with the truncation bordered by an undulated or crenated crest. Eyes are not visible. The mouth is proboscidiform, positioned between the cephalic disk and foot, and may have a pair of tentacles on either side. The foot is large, rounded, and reflected at the sides. A branchial plume is located near the posterior end of the body, curving around near the truncated end of the foot. The shell is concealed within this truncated end.

Species

Recognized species within the genus Philinopsis are:

Synonyms