Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Cyerce sp. 2

kingdom

Animalia

phylum

Mollusca

class

Gastropoda

order

Sacoglossa

family

Caliphyllidae

genus

Cyerce

species

Cyerce sp. 2

Cyerce sp. 2 is a sacoglossan in the family Caliphyllidae. It has not yet been formally described. Like other Cyerce, it carries flattened, leaf-like cerata along its back. Their shape and arrangement are useful details to record alongside the head.

Cyerce are sap-sucking sea slugs, feeding by piercing algal cells and removing their contents. The exact food alga of this numbered form is not established here. Leaf-like cerata do not make the animal a plant or reveal which algae it eats.

For divers exploring the Philippines, the book's numbered entry allows comparison while a formal species name is unavailable. Keep a full-body photograph as well as a close portrait when documenting an encounter.

Use a macro lens and gentle lighting to separate the overlapping cerata. Change your own angle rather than the animal's position, and avoid rearranging algae to clear the background.

It appears on page 324 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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