PORT PHILLIP BAY


Bubble Shell 

Retusa pelyx Burn, 1974

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Cephalaspidea group detail.
Shell external, or reduced and internal. Other characters include: eversible penis in right side of head, operculum rarely present, gizzard plates often present. Most species have radula and gastral plates, some however have one or the other, some neither. Infaunal species are usually cream all over, epifaunal species strongly pigmented.

Source: Burn, R. (2006) A checklist and bibliography of the Opisthobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Victoria and the Bass Strait area, south-eastern Australia. Museum Victoria Science Reports 10: 1-42.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Mollusca
Subphylum:
Conchifera
Superclass:
Visceroconcha
Class:
Gastropoda
Subclass:
Orthogastropoda
Superorder:
Heterobranchia
Order:
Opisthobranchia
Suborder:
Cephalaspidea
Superfamily:
Philinoidea
Family:
Retusidae
Genus:
Retusa
Species:
pelyx

General Description

Body shape slug-like with shell. Gill structures internal. Pattern includes shades or colours of white and/or brown. Shell up to 5 mm across.

Biology

There are at least six other species of Retusa in Victorian waters. Some need identifications confirmed, others are unnamed.

Habitat

Sandy mud areas such as estuaries, to depth of 100 m.

Coastal shores

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Victorian and Tasmanian waters.

Species Group

Nudibranchs and allies › Bubble shells

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

5 mm

Diet

Carnivore

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Identify

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Burn, R.

Robert Burn is an Honorary Associate at Museum Victoria with expertise in Molluscs.

Author

article author Wilson, R.

Robin Wilson is a Senior Curator of marine invertebrates at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Burn, R. & Wilson, R., 2011, Bubble Shell, Retusa pelyx, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5026

Text: creative commons cc by licence