Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Cyerce katiae

kingdom

Animalia

phylum

Mollusca

class

Gastropoda

order

Sacoglossa

family

Caliphyllidae

genus

Cyerce

species

Cyerce katiae

Cyerce katiae is a sacoglossan in the family Caliphyllidae. It is almost transparent, with broad, glassy cerata that can disappear against a busy background. Look carefully for the head and the edges of these flattened projections when examining the photographs.

Cyerce belong to the sap-sucking sea slugs. They pierce algal cells and draw out their contents, rather than hunting the animal prey eaten by many nudibranchs. The precise food alga of the individual shown here is not established by its photograph.

For divers exploring the Philippines, translucent slugs reward patient observation. The book provides a comparison point, but a clear view of the head and full outline remains important for checking an identification.

Use gentle lighting to avoid bright reflections from the cerata. Try a slightly different camera angle if the outline is lost, while leaving both the animal and its surroundings undisturbed.

It appears on page 324 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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