WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
The papillose flatworm has an oval flattened body, thicker centrally, with flexible, sometimes folded margins. Papillae, small dorsal projections, cover the brown to reddish-brown surface. A paler pattern can form a cross along the body axis.
Two pseudotentacles, folds of the anterior margin, mark the head. The underside is paler. Posture can strongly alter one individual’s outline.
WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
It occurs on hard surfaces, beneath stones, among algae and within mussel communities. French Mediterranean presence is documented. It is often inconspicuous by day.
Night observation or close attention to passages between organisms can reveal it without disturbing the seabed. Systematically turning stones changes the shelters being sought.
WHAT DOES IT EAT?
Attached animals contribute to its food. Observations mention bryozoans and sponges; a publication on Didemnum fulgens also cites occasional consumption by this flatworm.
That relationship is worth retaining by precise name. Turning it into “eats all ascidians” would exceed the observation. Not every encounter on one surface is a meal.
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