Phyllodesmium guamense

Phyllodesmium guamense
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida

Superfamily: Aeolidioidea
Family: Facelinidae
Subfamily: Favorininae
Genus: Phyllodesmium
Species: P. guamense
Binomial name
Phyllodesmium guamense
Avila, Ballesteros, Slattery, Starmer & Paul, 1998[1]

Phyllodesmium guamense is a species of sea slug, an aolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Facelinidae. [2]

The specific name guamense refer to the island Guam, its type locality.

Distribution

The distribution of Phyllodesmium guamense includes Guam.[1][3]

Description

The length of the slug is 8-48 mm.[3]

Phyllodesmium guamense uses camouflage and it looks like the soft coral Sinularia.[1]

This species contains zooxanthellae.[3]

Ecology

Phyllodesmium guamense feeds on Sinularia polydactyla, Sinularia maxima and Sinularia sp.[1][3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Avila C., Ballesteros M., Slattery M., Starmer J. & Paul V. J. (1998). "Phyllodesmium guamensis (Nudibranchia: Aeolidoidea), a new species from Guam (Micronesia)". Journal of Molluscan Studies 64: 147–160. abstract.
  2. Bouchet, P. (2010). Phyllodesmium guamense Avila, Ballesteros, Slattery, Starmer & Paul, 1998. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=456805 on 2012-06-05
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wagner D., Kahng S. E. & Toonen R. J. (2009). "Observations on the life history and feeding ecology of a specialized nudibranch predator (Phyllodesmium poindimiei), with implications for biocontrol of an invasive octocoral (Carijoa riisei) in Hawaii". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 372(1-2): 64-74. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2009.02.007. PDF.