''Phyllodesmium serratum'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some Marine biology, marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial Slug, slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are Sea snail, sea snails (marine gastropod moll ...

, an aeolid

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the family

Facelinidae The Facelinidae are a taxonomic family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine gastropod molluscs.Bouchet, P. (2012). Facelinidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marine ...

.Bouchet, P. (2010). ''Phyllodesmium serratum'' (Baba, 1949). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225502 on 2011-01-08

Distribution

The distribution of ''Phyllodesmium serratum'' includes Australia and Japan.Rudman, W.B., 1999 (January 26
''Phyllodesmium serratum'' (Baba, 1949).
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. It has been erroneously synonymised with ''

Phyllodesmium horridum ''Phyllodesmium horridum'', the coral nudibranch, is a species of sea slug, specifically an aeolid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae. Distribution This species is found around the South African coast from ...

'' by some authors but does not occur in Africa.

Description

The length of the slug is usually 10–25 mm, but its length can reach up to 40 mm. This species contains no

zooxanthellae Zooxanthellae (; zooxanthella) is a colloquial term for single-celled photosynthetic organisms that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including corals, jellyfish, demosponges, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthell ...

Ecology

''Phyllodesmium serratum'' feeds on the soft corals '' Cornularia'' sp., ''

Clavularia Clavularia is a genus of corals in the family Clavulariidae. They are often referred by the common names star polyps or clove polyps. Species There are 69 accepted species in this genus: * '' Clavularia alba'' (Grieg, 1888) * '' Clavularia arc ...

'' sp., '' Carijoa'' sp. and '' Steronephthya'' sp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3642347 Facelinidae Gastropods described in 1949