Red Sea Chelidonura

Appearance

It is black, but often appears deep blue, probably from the light effects caused by the dense covering of cilia. It has large yellowish lobes on each side of the mouth. They have a thin calcareous shell inside and on the back under their coat. 3-5 cm in size.

Distribution

Red Sea.

Behavior

Diurnal.
They can wrap themselves in mucus while crawling or resting, and under stress.

Habitat

Rocky or coral reefs.

Reproduction

The grouping of several individuals sometimes in single file called "trailing" is common in this family and often precedes the reproduction of these hermaphroditic species.

Food

They feed on small prey, such as flatworms, which they detect using their sensory hairs on the front of their heads and which they suck in with their radulaless mouth.

Defense

According to some studies, when they are attacked, they emit an orange-yellow liquid toxic to their predator, capable of paralyzing and killing 5cm polychaete worms.