''Phyllodesmium macphersonae'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary t ...

, an aeolid

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to matc ...

, a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the family

Facelinidae The Facelinidae are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs.Bouchet, P. (2012). Facelinidae. Accessed through: W ...

.Bouchet, P. (2015)
''Phyllodesmium macphersonae''.
In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-07

Distribution

The distribution of ''Phyllodesmium macphersonae'' includes Australia, Tanzania and Japan.Rudman, W.B., 2001 (April 29
''Phyllodesmium macphersonae'' (Burn, 1962).
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

The length of the slug is 4–35 mm. This species contains

zooxanthellae Zooxanthellae is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including demosponges, corals, jellyfish, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthellae are in the genus ''Sy ...

Ecology

''Phyllodesmium macphersonae'' feeds on an

octocoral Octocorallia (also known as Alcyonaria) is a class of Anthozoa comprising around 3,000 species of water-based organisms formed of colonial polyps with 8-fold symmetry. It includes the blue coral, soft corals, sea pens, and gorgonians (sea fans ...

.Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Jan 25)
Comment on ''Phyllodesmium macphersonae'' - first feeding record by John Chuk.
essage in/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

References

External links

Burn R. (2006) ''A checklist and bibliography of the Opisthobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Victoria and the Bass Strait area, south-eastern Australia''. Museum Victoria Science Reports 10:1–42
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7188804 Facelinidae Gastropods described in 1962