Gardiner's Headshield Slug
Tubulophilinopsis gardineri
- Usual depth2–18 m
- Water temperature20–29 °C
- Best monthsApril, July, and November
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Tubulophilinopsis gardineri, the Gardiner’s philinopsis, or Gardiner's headshield slug is a species of sea slug, a shell-less opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aglajidae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Tubulophilinopsis gardineri”, 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: 29 records
- February: 37 records
- March: 48 records
- April: 53 records
- May: 42 records
- June: 44 records
- July: 49 records
- August: 49 records
- September: 48 records
- October: 45 records
- November: 50 records
- December: 41 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 2–18 m · Deepest record: 30 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–29 °C
Photos
(c) Rachael Kaiser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Daniel Eisenhauer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Gardiner's Headshield Slug
Names in 3 more languages
- Spanish
- Babosa de Gardiner
- French
- Philinopsis de Gardiner
- Japanese
- アオフチキセワタ
Other scientific names: Doridium gardineri, Philinopsis gardineri
Similar species
Pilsbry's Head Shield SlugTubulophilinopsis pilsbryi
Lovely Headshield SlugChelidonura amoena
T-bar SwallowtailChelidonura hirundinina
Beautiful SwallowtailPhilinopsis speciosa
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).
- 331 open-data records from 1948 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.