Marine Life / Nudibranchs

Elysia sp. 1

kingdom

Animalia

phylum

Mollusca

class

Gastropoda

order

Sacoglossa

family

Plakobranchidae

genus

Elysia

species

Elysia sp. 1

Elysia sp. 1 is a sacoglossan in the family Plakobranchidae. It has not yet been formally described. Its mottled green colour and flattened shape help it blend into algae, while the folded body flaps characteristic of Elysia are useful to examine.

Elysia are sap-sucking sea slugs that pierce algal cells and draw out their contents. The precise food alga of this numbered form is not established here, and a green colour alone does not identify its diet.

For divers in the Philippines, the book provides a way to compare this unnamed form without assigning it an unsupported species name. Photographs showing the head, body markings and flap edges are especially helpful.

Use a low side angle if the setting allows it. Keep your lighting gentle enough to retain pale detail, and do not pull apart algae or move the slug to improve the view.

It appears on page 356 of Nudibranchs of the Philippines.

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