How many species of sea slug are known to exist?
How many species of sea slug are known to exist?
3000 SPECIES
1. THERE ARE MORE THAN 3000 SPECIES. The bizarre, beautiful sea slugs called nudibranchs can be found in marine environments all over the world.
What makes some Elysia sea slugs special?
These chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, a pigment that captures light during photosynthesis and gives the sea slug its green colour. They are present in the cells of his highly branched digestive tract. That’s why Elysia chlorotica looks like a green leaf, presenting leaf vein-like structures.
What is the most common sea slug?
Nudibranchs
Shell-less marine gastropods Nudibranchs (clade Nudibranchia) are a large group of marine gastropods that have no shell at all. These may be the most familiar sort of sea slug.
What is the green sea slug?
Elysia chlorotica, also called emerald green sea slug or eastern emerald elysia, species of sea slug belonging to the family Elysiidae (order Sacoglossa) and known for its ability to photosynthesize food.
Is the green sea slug a hybrid?
They allow the animal to rely on sunshine for its nutrition. So if something happens to their food source, they have a way of not starving to death until they find more algae to eat.” That makes this sea slug a true plant-animal hybrid.
Are sea slugs toxic?
Only the grey side-gilled sea slugs (Pleurobranchaea maculata) are known to contain tetrodotoxin (TTX) and can be highly poisonous. Children and pets should be kept under supervision at all times and kept away from any sea life as it may contain harmful levels of bacteria or be poisonous.
Why is this discovery of the Elysia Chlorotica so exceptional?
Abstract. The sea slug Elysia chlorotica offers a unique opportunity to study the evolution of a novel function (photosynthesis) in a complex multicellular host. Elysia chlorotica harvests plastids (absent of nuclei) from its heterokont algal prey, Vaucheria litorea.
Why is the slug found in shallow pools?
The slug needs sunlight to produce its own food. The pools must therefore be shallow so the slug can be exposed to sunlight.
Where do sea slugs live in the ocean?
Elysia chlorotica is found in salt and tidal marshes, shallow creeks, and pools with depths of less than 0.5 m. The eastern sea slug is the most euryhaline osmoconformer known to date. The slug can survive salinity levels ranging from nearly fresh water (~24 mosm) to brackish salt water (~2422 mosm).
How big do elsyia slugs get?
Adults normally range in size from 20 to 30 mm but specimens of up to 60 mm have been documented. The eastern emerald elsyia obtains its name from its adult structure. Elysid refers to the adult slug’s leaf-like shape which is caused by two large lateral parapodia on either side of its body.
What is the size of a green slug?
The green color persists only as long as the slug has functional chloroplasts in its cells. When the chloroplasts are expelled, the slug loses its bright green color and reverts to a gray color. Adults normally range in size from 20 to 30 mm but specimens of up to 60 mm have been documented.
