Phyllodesmium pecten

Phyllodesmium pecten
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. pecten
Binomial name
Phyllodesmium pecten
Rudman, 1981[1]

Phyllodesmium pecten is a species of small sea slug, an aolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Facelinidae.

Distribution

The distribution of Phyllodesmium pecten includes Tanzania.[2]

Description

The length of the slug is 4-22 mm.[2]

This species contains zooxanthellae.[2]

The body is translucent or yellowish.

Ecology

Phyllodesmium pecten feeds on soft coral Xenia sp.[2]

References

  1. Rudman W. B. (1981). "The anatomy and biology of alconarian-feeding aeolid opistobranch 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.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 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.