Orange-clubbed sea slug Limacia clavigera

This sea slug is mainly white with orange tips and spots – hence the common name! They have two sensory tentacles on the back of their head, that are tipped with yellow as well as three feather-like gills on their back, which also have yellow-orange tips.

Behaviour

The orange-clubbed sea slug is a type of nudibranch that lives on seaweed or rocks, and feeds on sea mats (bryozoans), a colony of animals that live on the surface of seaweeds. Sea slugs are hermaphrodites – meaning they are both male and female.

Size

Max is 2cm in length

Status

Distribution

Across Scotland, particularly along the west coast.

When to see

All year round

Facts

Their scientific name, Limacia clavigera, means a slug carrying clubs! The orange clubs covering its body contain defensive glands that can produce chemicals to put off predators from wanting to eat them.

Common name

Orange-clubbed sea slug

Species name

Limacia clavigera

When to see in Scotland

All year round

Where to see in Scotland

Tend to be found on patches of bryozoans in shallow waters but also in deeper waters.