Phyllodesmium rudmani

Phyllodesmium rudmani
detail of cerata of Phyllodesmium rudmani
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia

clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Dexiarchia
clade Cladobranchia
clade Aeolidida

Superfamily: Aeolidioidea
Family: Facelinidae
Subfamily: Favorininae
Genus: Phyllodesmium
Species: P. rudmani
Binomial name
Phyllodesmium rudmani
Burghardt & Gosliner, 2006[1]

Phyllodesmium rudmani is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.

The specific name rudmani is in honor of malacologist William B. Rudman.

Distribution

The distribution of Phyllodesmium rudmani includes North Sulawesi, Indonesia and Luzon, the Philippines.[1]

Description

The length of the slug is up to 45 mm. Its cerata are similar to (mimicry) closed polyps of soft coral of the genus Xenia.[2]

soft coral Xenia sp.

Phyllodesmium rudmani contain endosymbiotic zooxanthellae of the genus Symbiodinium.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Burghardt I. & Gosliner T. M. (2006). "Phyllodesmium rudmani (Mollusca: Nudibranchia: Aeolidoidea), a new solar powered species from the Indo-West Pacific with data on its symbiosis with zooxanthellae". Zootaxa 1308: 31-47. abstract. full PDF. (subscription required)
  2. Rudman, W.B., 2007 (February 17) Phyllodesmium rudmani Burghardt & Gosliner, 2006. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
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