Phyllodesmium longicirrum, common name the solar-powered phyllodesmium, is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.[1]
| Phyllodesmium longicirrum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Phyllodesmium longicirrum, head end towards the lower left, crawling on its prey the soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | P. longicirrum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Phyllodesmium longicirrum (Bergh, 1905)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Distribution edit
The distribution of Phyllodesmium longicirrum includes Australia and Indonesia.[2]
Description edit
This is a very large species, growing to at least 140 mm. Phyllodesmium longicirrum contains photosynthetic zooxanthellae, which allow it to draw energy from sunlight, hence its common name, the solar-powered phyllodesmium.[3] This is actually a misleading name, as several other species of Phyllodesmium are also capable of photosynthesis, although this is developed to the greatest extreme in this species.[4][5]
.jpg)
Ecology edit
Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeds on soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum (family Alcyoniidae).[2]
References edit
- ^ Bouchet, P. (2015). Phyllodesmium longicirrum. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-07
- ^ a b Rudman, W.B., 1998 (October 11) Phyllodesmium longicirrum (Bergh, 1905). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
- ^ Rudman W. B. (1981). "The anatomy and biology of alcyonarian-feeding aeolid opisthobranch molluscs and their development of symbiosis with zooxanthellae". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 72(3): 219-262. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1981.tb01571.x.
- ^ Rudman W. B. (1991). "Further studies on the taxonomy and biology of the octocoral-feeding genus Phyllodesmium Ehrenberg, 1831 (Nudibranchia: Aeolidacea)". Journal of Molluscan Studies 57(2): 167–203. abstract.
- ^ Rudman, W.B., 1998 (October 11) Solar-powered sea slugs. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
External links edit
