Phyllodesmium guamense

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

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]

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

Distribution

The type locality of Phyllodesmium guamense is Piti, Guam, Micronesia. Additional specimens were found in Cocos Island Lagoon nearby.[1]

Description

Phyllodesmium guamense uses camouflage and it looks like the soft coral Sinularia. The maximum recorded length of the slug is 48 mm. This species contains zooxanthellae which are distributed throughout the inflated cerata.[1]

Ecology

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

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References
  1. 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 on 2012-06-05
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