Species introCountry intro
Coriocella nigra
Seen in Malapascua, Philippines (2012). Photo by Mark Bockstael (my husband).
Coriocella is a genus of small slug-like sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Velutinidae. Black velvety with green. The ear-shaped shell is extremely thin, even membranous in part and concealed in the mantle. It has a small spiral turn at the apex. The aperture is very large. The shell lacks a columella. The soft body is elliptical and much depressed. The borders of the mantle are very thin, notched in front and spreading out widely. The oval foot is very small. The head is scarcely distinct. The two short and rather thick tentacles are contractile and concealed under the shield. The eyes are situated at the base of the tentacles.
Coriocella nigra is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Velutinidae. An Indo-Pacific species, it lives on rocks at depths of up to 15 m. It is up to 10 cm long and has an internal shell; body color is black or brown. C. nigra is probably a predator of tunicates.
