Skip to content
DiveHive
EN
Join the waitlist

DiscoverSpeciesMolluscs

Dappled Sea Hare

Dolabrifera dolabrifera

  • Molluscs
  • IUCN: Not evaluated
  • Usual depth1–14 m
  • Water temperature16–30 °C
  • Best monthsApril, May, and December
  • How commonOccasional
All species

Photo credit: (c) Cricket Raspet, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Dolabrifera dolabrifera, commonly known as the warty seacat, is a species of sea hare, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares. The animal goes by many names, including the common sea hare. The Hawaiian name for Dolabrifera dolabrifera, is Kualakai. This species is found in warm tropical and subtropical waters.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Dolabrifera dolabrifera”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 76 records
  • February: 74 records
  • March: 69 records
  • April: 90 records
  • May: 79 records
  • June: 79 records
  • July: 46 records
  • August: 43 records
  • September: 43 records
  • October: 60 records
  • November: 62 records
  • December: 93 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–14 m · Deepest record: 62.5 m

  • 0–10 m: 92 records
  • 10–20 m: 21 records
  • 20–30 m: 1 records
  • 30–40 m: 0 records
  • 40–50 m: 0 records
  • 50–60 m: 0 records
  • 60–70 m: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 16–30 °C

  • 16–18 °C: 1 records
  • 18–20 °C: 9 records
  • 20–22 °C: 27 records
  • 22–24 °C: 21 records
  • 24–26 °C: 51 records
  • 26–28 °C: 80 records
  • 28–30 °C: 64 records

Names and classification

English
Dappled Sea Hare, Green Sea Hare, warty seacat
Names in 1 more languages
Japanese
ビワガタナメクジ

Other scientific names: Aplysia dolabrifera, Aplysia oahouensis, Dolabella dolabrifera, Dolabrifera cuvieri, Dolabrifera fusca, Dolabrifera maillardi, Dolabrifera marmorea, Dolabrifera olivacea, Dolabrifera pacifica, Dolabrifera tahitensis, Dolabrifera vitraea

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 707 open-data records from 1899 to 2026.
  • Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist

DiveHive uses necessary cookies to work. With your permission we also use analytics to see which pages help. Analytics is off until you say yes, and we never record what you type.

  • NecessaryAlways on: your choice, security.Always on
  • AnalyticsOff unless you accept.Off
Privacy policy