Neha Patil (Editor)

Elysia viridis

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Kingdom
  
Family
  
Scientific name
  
Elysia viridis

Higher classification
  
Elysia

Superfamily
  
Plakobranchoidea

Genus
  
Elysia

Phylum
  
Rank
  
Species

Elysia viridis MarLIN The Marine Life Information Network Solarpowered sea

Similar
  
Elysia, Sacoglossa, Elysia timida, Plakobranchidae, Plakobranchus ocellatus

Elysia viridis mov


Elysia viridis, the sap-sucking slug, is a small-to-medium-sized species of green sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Plakobranchidae.

Contents

Elysia viridis MarLIN The Marine Life Information Network Solarpowered sea

This sea slug resembles a nudibranch, but it is not closely related to that clade of gastropods. It is instead a sacoglossan.

Elysia viridis Elysia viridis

Elysia viridis bryopsis sp


Distribution

Elysia viridis httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

This species lives in the northeastern Atlantic, from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea as well as all around the South African coast. It is found from the intertidal zone to a depth of about 5 m.

Description

Elysia viridis The Sea Slug Forum Elysia viridis

The animal grows up to 30 mm in total length. It has a smooth bright green or brown body with iridescent spots and two wing-like flaps extending along its sides. These flaps are usually folded back. The rhinophores are rolled.

Ecology

Elysia viridis Elysiaviridis1jpg

This species lives in a subcellular endosymbiotic relationship with chloroplasts derived from the alga Codium fragile. These chloroplasts provide the Elysia host with the products of photosynthesis. Elysia viridis feeds on Codium, and absorbs its chloroplasts. The term for such an activity is kleptoplasty. The slug retains the chloroplasts within in its cells in a functioning state; they apparently are physiologically important to the host, though it is not yet clear to what extent photosynthetically derived sugars are significant in the slug's diet.

The egg mass is a flat greenish coil of several turns.

Elysia viridis Bergse Diepsluis Oesterdam 66 of 93

Elysia viridis The Sea Slug Forum Elysia viridis

References

Elysia viridis Wikipedia