Velutin snail

Coriocella nigra

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.

Naming

Blainville 1824

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,Coriocella_nigra,Fall,Geotagged,Philippines,Velutin snail

Food

Velutinids all seem to feed on colonial ascidians

Defense

Camouflage

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/lamellar

Taxonomy
Kingdom	Animalia
Division	Mollusca
Class	Gastropoda
Order	Littorinimorpha
Family	Velutinidae
Genus	Coriocella
Species	Coriocella nigra

Photographed in
Philippines