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California Aglaja
Navanax inermis
Navanax inermis, common name the California aglaja, is a large species of predatory sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aglajidae. Navanax is not a nudibranch, even though it somewhat resembles one; it belongs to a more ancient lineage of opisthobranchs called the cephalaspideans or head shield slugs and snails.
From the article Navanax inermis on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The body of N. inermis can be tan, black, or purple, with yellowish streaks. Yellow or orange streaks and blue dots are visible on the margins. It has two large parapodial folds that run the length of either side of the body, and almost touch at the midsection. This species possesses a small internal shell. Individuals are typically between 2.5 and 10 inches in length. Navanax inermis does not possess a radula or organs associated with vision.
Range & habitat
This species occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Gulf of California. Its range is from Monterey, California to Baja California. Navanax inermis can commonly be found on rocky intertidal regions and subtidal mudflats.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
What it does
Navanax inermis is a voracious carnivorous predator. Common prey items include other sea slugs, like bubble snails and nudibranchs, and small fish. As N. inermis lacks visual perception, it finds prey by using its chemoreceptors to follow the slime trails of other organisms.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Navanax inermis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 49848.