REVIEWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SEA SLUG Bursatella leachii BLAINVILLE, 1817 (APLYSIIDAE, MOLLUSCA) IN BRAZIL, WITH ITS FIRST RECORD IN THE STATE OF SERGIPE, NORTHEASTERN REGION

This study expands and establishes the known distribution of Bursatella leachii in Brazil through a review of the literature on the species' distribution in the country and the first records of the species in the state of Sergipe, Northeastern region. The literature review involved a search in the Google Scholar database, as well as data from preserved specimens in biological collections Available from GBIF. Specimens of B. leachii were examined and photographed in the field, during the dry season (summer) on sandy-muddy bottoms within estuaries with distinctives disturbance levels in the State of Sergipe, Northeastern Brazil. Egg masses were also recorded at one locality. These records correspond to the first records of the species for the state. The review of B. leachii records in Brazil, together with the first records for Sergipe, allowed us to establish that B. leachii occurs along the Brazilian coast from Rio Grande do Sul to Ceará.