Habitat 
Depth 
Group 
Role 
Average sizeWHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
The opaque violet near the tips of the cerata helps refine the appearance of the pink flabellina (Flabellina affinis). These long, soft back projections gather in small bunches on a mauve to purplish body.
On the head, the rhinophores, two upright projections, have clearly marked rings. Two other tentacles, long and smooth, point forwards. These details complement a general colour shared with several similar sea slugs.
WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
It lives in the Mediterranean Sea, mainly on rocky seabeds bearing hydroids. It occurs on walls, in coralligenous areas and on substrates colonised by hydroids, between a few metres and several tens of metres deep.
WHAT DOES IT EAT?
The violet flabellina obtains food from colonies of branching hydroids. It consumes their polyps: each of these minute animals bears tentacles and remains attached to a stem. The mollusc uses its radula to remove them. The branches are more than a route for the flabellina to crawl along: they carry its animal food.
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