#plakobranchidae

[herpsandbirds]

Sea Slug (Thuridilla sp.), family Plakobranchidae, suborder Sacoglossa, Australia

This sea slug is not a nudibranch, but is in a different group.

photograph by Bruce Deagle

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Off with your head? Not a problem for the sea slug Elysia marginata! Individuals have been known to completely detatch-- or automize-- their heads from their bodies, much like how lizards will occasionally drop their tails to avoid predators, although the process usually takes several hours. Once the head is separated, it is capable of surviving solely on photosynthesis while it regenerates a new body over the course of about 7-20 days. Due to the lengthy process, E. marginata is thought to decapitate itself to remove internal parasites.

(Image: An Elysia marginata sea slug by Rickard Zerpe)

[todropscience]

SELF-DECAPITATING BEHAVIOR SEEN IN SEA SLUGS

​The body they leave behind dies.

Autotomy, the voluntary shedding of a body part, is fairly widespread in the animal kingdom, and is generally followed by the regeneration of shed terminal body parts, but now, two japan researches have found a extrem case of autotomy in photosynthetic sea slugs.

Under lab conditions, two species of Elysia sea slugs - know by their capacity to use chloroplasts from algal food into their cells to utilise for photosynthesis- were infected with parasites, after that, sea slugs self-decapitated, suggesting they do it to get rid of parasites.

According to researchers, the head, separated from body and organs, moves on its own immediately after the separation (as the GIF shown). Within days, the wound at the back of the head is closed, while the head feeds on algaes. At the first week the head starte the body regeneration, and by the third week, regeneration is completed.

- Head and the body of Elysia cf. marginata, a day after autotomy. The shed body is much heavier (>80% of the total weight) than the head. Photo by Sayaka Mitoh.

Researchers Believe the slugs may use the photosynthetic ability of chloroplasts they incorporate from the algae in their diet, a proccess called kleptoplasty, to survive long enough for regeneration.

These findings in sea slugs represent a new type of autotomy in which animals with complex body plans shed most of their body.

Reference (Open Access): Mitoh and Yusa. 2021. Extreme autotomy and regeneration of the whole body in photosynthetic sea slugs. Current Biology.

Gif: Movement of Elysia cf. marginata  after induced autotomy.

[oceansoftheworld]

Photo by Mickey Charteris | Info

Elysia pratensis is a species of sea slug found in the tropical west Atlantic. It is a relatively elongated species of Elysia ranging in color from green to a yellowish green with a pattern of pale longitudinal lines.

Elysia is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Plakobranchidae. These animals are colorful sea slugs, and they can superficially resemble nudibranchs, but are not very closely related to them. Rather, they are sacoglossans, commonly known as sap-sucking slugs.

[herpsandbirds]

Eastern Emerald Elysia (Elysia chlorotica), family Plakobranchidae, found along the East Coast of the United States

This creature engages in kleptoplasty, taking the chloroplasts from the algae that it eats, and using the chloroplasts for the waste products they create though photosynthesis. It's kind of a… solar powered sea slug!

These sea slugs are not nudibranchs, but are in a different group of gastropods.

image via: Views of Elysia chlorotica from Martha’s Vineyard. Figure 15 of Krug et al., 2016, Zootaxa 4148:1

[herpsandbirds]

Ornate Leaf Slug (Elysia ornata), family Plakobranchidae, San Juan, Puerto Rico

photograph by Magali Marquez-Ramos

[extraordinaryspecies-blog-blog]

Name: Eastern emerald elysia (Elysia chlorotica) Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Order: Opisthobranchia   Family: Plakobranchidae   Region: East Coast of Unite States. Risk of Extinction: No in danger. More Info: It's the only animal that makes photosynthesis, this animal usually steals genetic material and cellular parts of algae to get their own chloroplasts. (photo taken from http://www.jambitz.com/un-hibrido-plantaanimal/)