Elysia marginata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Mollusca
- Class
- Gastropoda
- Order
- Sacoglossa
- Family
- Plakobranchidae
- Genus
- Elysia
- Species
- Elysia marginata
Elysia marginata is a sacoglossan, or sap-sucking sea slug, that feeds on algae. Its body looks a lot like a leaf.
Its pale green body is dotted with tiny dark and white spots, and the wing-like parapodia are edged in black and orange. Nudibranchs of the Philippines also shows a second colour variety.
Like other Elysia, it keeps the chloroplasts from the algae it eats and can use them to make food from sunlight, which is why these slugs are often called solar powered. It is found on many kinds of algae and grows much bigger than most sea slugs here, up to about 2.5 cm.
Its size makes it a good subject for divers new to slug hunting. Shoot it from above with the parapodia spread to show the coloured edges.
It appears on page 353 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.
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