Phyllaplysia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Phyllaplysia taylori
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Secure
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Phyllaplysia is a genus of sea slugs, specifically sea hares, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Aplysiidae, the sea hares.
Some authors place this genus in a separate family, Dolabriferidae.
(Note: Gastropod taxonomy has been in flux for more than half a century, and this is especially true currently, because of new research in molecular phylogeny. Because of these on-going changes, different reliable sources can yield different classifications.)
A more general description can be found on the page of the superfamily Aplysioidea.
[edit] Species
- Phyllaplysia engeli Marcus, 1955
- Distribution : tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
- Length : 5 mm
- Phyllaplysia padinae Williams & Gosliner, 1973
- Distribution : in bays and estuaries of the Gulf of California.
- Length : 45 mm
- Color : greenish with white spots
- Phyllaplysia smaragda K.B. Clark, 1977 or Emerald Leaf Slug
- Distribution : along Florida's Atlantic Coast
- Description : feeds on algae growing on the seagrass Syringodium. Discovered in 1970 and not been seen since 1982. It is now reported [extinct]], even if it was never listed on the Endangered Species Act.
- Phyllaplysia taylori Dall, 1900 Taylor’s Sea Hare or Eelgrass Sea Hare, syn : Phyllaplysia zostericola
- Distribution : US Pacific Coast; Range from British Columbia, Canada to San Diego, CA, USA
- Color : two color morphs have been observed, bright green & yellow, with characteristic black and white stripes (see Beeman 1970 for more complete description)
- Description : rather primitive species; dorsally flattened body; well camouflaged, found almost exclusively on eelgrass, Zostera marina; grazes on epiphytes that settle on Zostera blades - sponges and diatoms.
- Predators : possible predators include sunfish, starfishes of the genus Solaster)
