phallusia nigra

Black Sea Squirt

Hawaiian Name: none


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nigra

Description: Velvety black or translucent grey with a cylindrical body.  It can also be blue-black, red-purple, or brown.  It has two siphons (holes) and can be about 1/8 of an inch to about 5 inches long.

Habitat: Attatched to rocks and dead coral in harbors and mud flats.  It can be found in very shallow, even partly submerged to about 15 or 20 feet deep.
Range (include invasive, native, endemic):

Tropical Atlantic, Red Sea, Western Indian Ocean, Hawaii, & Micronesia.  It was probably introduced. 

Trophic information: It filters nutrients out of the water via it's two siphons.
Safety: none
Comments: It resembles a pickle.
Links to Resources:
Introduced Marine Species of Hawaii Guidebook

 
 
 
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