''Phylliroe bucephala'' is a
parasitic 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 ...
of
pelagic
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...
nudibranch, 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
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Phylliroidae
The Phylliroidae are a family of nudibranch sea snails, highly adapted to a pelagic lifestyle and occurring in tropical surface waters around the globe. The two species of the genus ''Phylliroe'' and ''Cephalopyge trematoides
''Cephalopyge tr ...
.
Biology
This species of nudibranch is transparent with its guts visible through the laterally flattened body. It has a tail and two long smooth
rhinophores. It feeds on
jellyfish
Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...
and
plankton
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...
as an adult. The juveniles
parasitize
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...
''
Zanclea
''Zanclea'' is a genus of hydrozoans belonging to the family Zancleidae.
The genus has cosmopolitan distribution.
Species
Species:
*'' Zanclea alba''
*'' Zanclea apicata''
*'' Zanclea apophysis''
*''Zanclea baudini''
*'' Zanclea bomala''
...
''
medusae.
[Gosliner TM, Valdes A Behrens DW 2015 ''Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific'' New World Publications Jacksonville Florida USA]
References
*
Powell A. W. B., ''New Zealand Mollusca'',
William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979
SeaSlugForum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3200126
Phylliroidae
Gastropods described in 1810