Phagomimicry

While ink creates a dark, diffuse cloud in the water which disrupts the sensory perception of the predator by acting as a smokescreen and as a decoy, the opaline, which affects the senses dealing with feeding, causes the predator to instinctively attack the cloud of chemicals as if it were indeed food.

When ink is released it creates a smoke-screen like defense mechanism allowing the sea hares time to escape while also affecting the olfactory and gustatory senses of their predator.

[1] Predators are tricked into thinking that they have captured their prey due to the specific chemical composition of the ink released.

The opaline gland is a structure resembling a bundle of grapes attached to a central canal which is composed of epithelial cells.

The RER is the formation site of the anti-predator protein, the granulate cells are for extra pigment storage.

[9] The ink secretion can have a long-lasting effect on predators as chemical phagomimics can cause chemo-mechanosensory stimulation which overwhelms the sensory system and leads to confusion and eventually the cession of the attack.