Phyllodesmium briareum

Phyllodesmium briareum is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.[1]

Phyllodesmium briareum (one specimen at the bottom of the image) looks very similar to the soft coral Briareum violaceum (at the top of the image).

Phyllodesmium briareum
Phyllodesmium briareum, head end towards the right
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. briareum
Binomial name
Phyllodesmium briareum
(Bergh, 1896)
Synonyms[1]

Ennoia briareus Bergh, 1896

Distribution

The distribution of Phyllodesmium briareum includes Indo-Pacific and Australia.[2]

Description

Phyllodesmium briareum uses camouflage and looks like the soft coral Briareum violacea with which it is often found. It grows to 25 mm in length. This species contains zooxanthellae but has cerata of conventional aeolid shape.[3][2]

Ecology

Phyllodesmium briareum is reported to feed on a number of species of briareid soft coral including Solenopodium stelleri and Briareum stecheri (sensu MacFadyen, 1936). It is also reported from Pachyclavularia violacea.[4][2]

References
  1. Bouchet, P. 2015. Phyllodesmium briareum. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-10-06
  2. Rudman, W.B., 1999 (November 25) Phyllodesmium briareum (Bergh, 1896). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  3. Rudman, W. B. 1981. The anatomy and biology of alcyonarian-feeding aeolid opisthobranch mollusks and their development of symbiosis with zooxanthellae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 72:219–262.
  4. Rudman W.B. 1991. Further studies on the taxonomy and biology of the octocoral-feeding genus Phyllodesmium Ehrenberg, 1831 (Nudibranchia: Aeolidoidea). Journal of Molluscan Studies 57: 167-203
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