Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Cyerce sp. 3

kingdom

Animalia

phylum

Mollusca

class

Gastropoda

order

Sacoglossa

family

Caliphyllidae

genus

Cyerce

species

Cyerce sp. 3

Cyerce sp. 3 is a sacoglossan in the family Caliphyllidae. It has not yet been formally described. Its translucent body carries broad, frilly cerata dotted with small pale and orange spots, making both the outline and surface markings worth recording.

Cyerce belong to the sap-sucking sea slugs, which pierce algal cells to feed on their contents. Their broad cerata can resemble leaves, but an exact food alga cannot be identified from the animal's appearance or a nearby plant alone.

For Philippine divers, the numbered book entry allows useful comparison without assigning a formal species name that does not yet exist. Include the head and arrangement of the cerata in your photographs.

Transparent surfaces can disappear under harsh light. Use gentle illumination and try an angle that separates the cerata from the background, without moving the slug or rearranging its surroundings.

It appears on page 326 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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