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Glaucilla marginata is a species of small, floating, blue sea slug; a pelagic aolid nudibranch; a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae. It is the only species in the genus Glaucilla, but is sometimes included in Glaucus with the closely related Glaucus atlanticus instead. It’s common name is the sea lizard. Although Glaucilla marginata is more commonly used, Glaucus marginatus can be used interchangeably.

Founder
The Glaucilla marginata was first reported by a Rudolph Bergh in 1860. He worked as a physican and a zoologist with a specialty in molluscs, specifically the nudibranch. In his time, he became the leading expert on the nudibranch and made great contributions to the nervous and reproductive systems of the nudibranch.

Distribution and Habitat
The Glaucilla marginata is pelagic, and can primarily be found near Southern Africa, Southern Australia and New Zealand. These small nudibranchs float upside down on the surface tension in temperate and tropical seas.

Description
This nudibranch is dark blue, and in many ways it resembles a smaller version of Glaucus atlanticus. Its color varies in degree but is primarily bluish-brown with a light blue to silver underbelly. Unlike the Glaucus atlanticus, the Glaucilla marginata sports four groups of papillae arranged in multiple rows. These papillae cluster numbers have been seen to exceed 125 in number. However, in this species the cerata (saw teeth on the skin) are arranged in a single row in each arch, while in Glaucilla there are multiple rows.

Diet
They eat colonial cnidarians such as the Portuguese Man of War.

Natural Defenses
The Glaucilla marginata has multiple methods of self-defense. It’s unique coloring provides for easy camouflage. Because the Glaucilla marginata floats upside down along the surface of the ocean, their foot and undersides of the cerata are silver-blue and serve as a type of camouflage for flying predators. Meanwhile, along it’s "true" dorsal surface the coloring is darker which serves to protect this nudibranch from fish predators below.

However, camouflage is not the Glaucilla marginata’s only defense. Because of this nudibranch’s, diet they use the venom stored from the largest nematocysts of the Portuguese Man of War stored in specialized sacs called cnidosacs.