PORT PHILLIP BAY


Bubble Shell 

Runcina australis Burn, 1963

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:
Runcinoidea
Family:
Runcinidae
Genus:
Runcina
Species:
australis

General Description

Body shape slug-like with shell. Gill structures internal. Pattern includes shades or colours of black. Up to 5 mm long.

Biology

This is a common species, but because of its small size, is one of the more rarely seen opisthobranchs related to bubble shells.

Habitat

On seagrass or algae, in shallow lower intertidal pools, to depth of 10 m.

Coastal shores

Reefs

Seagrass meadows

Distribution guide

South-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Nudibranchs and allies › Bubble shells

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

5 mm

Diet

Carnivore

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 4787

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, Runcina australis, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 30 Apr 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5034

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