Southwest Florida Shells
by José H. Leal
Family Oxynoidae
Lobiger souverbii
(P. Fischer, 1857)
Souverbie's Lobiger
This sea slug reaches about 15 mm (0.6 inch). Its cap-like, open-coiled, translucent shell is very thin, covers only the central-dorsal part of the animal, and is flanked by the four parapodial lobes that are typical of the genus Lobiger. Most likely, the lobes act to increase the apparent size of the animal. That, combined with production of a sticky substance, probably acts to intimidate potential predators. The Souverbie Lobiger can be very difficult to observe alive, as it displays cryptic coloration, i.e., the green color of the animal mirrors the color of its habitat and preferred food, green algae in the genus Caulerpa. The shell illustrated here was collected in January 2019 by Ann Palmer, at Cayo Costa. The photo of the live sea slug was taken by Anne DuPont at Lake Worth Lagoon, Palm Beach County.