?Elysia pilosa

March 19, 1998
From: David & Leanne Atkinson

Bill,
This is the first Elysia that I have seen (Janalie Besoff found it at Fly Point, Port Stephens, NSW in 10M). Elysia expansa and Elysia verrucosa both seem to have black lines down the edge of their "wings", this one doesn't. Any ideas?
Please correct any mis-identifications!
David & Leanne Atkinson

atkin@hunterlink.net.au

Atkinson, D. & L., 1998 (Mar 19) ?Elysia pilosa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/58

Note added July 23 2003 - E. pilosa is unidentifiable from original description. I am identifying this as E. tomentosa.

Sacoglossans, such as Elysia are often quite common. They are all herbivores and are often well camouflaged, much of their colour being derived from the plants they are feeding on. The leaf-like shape of species of species of Elysia is a clue to the remarkable ability of many of them to keep plant tissue alive in their bodies. Plants have special coloured organelles in their cells called plastids (chloroplasts in green algae) which are able to convert the sun's energy into sugar. This process which is unique to plants, is called photosynthesis. It is vital for all life on earth. Some sacoglossans are able to keep the plastids alive in their own tissues where they provide sugars not for the plants they originated in but for the sea slug.

The taxonomy of many of the species of Elysia is still confused. At present we are still not sure how many species there are and just how much variation in colour can be found in each species. I am not sure whether the slug illustrated as Elysia expansa in Wells & Bryce, 1993: 64, Fig. 68 is correctly identified and I am not sure whether the black line around the edge of the parapodia is an important character. At present I am using a name given by Risbec for a species he found in New Caledonia, but I could be wrong. Any comments from an expert?.. Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 1998 (Mar 19). Comment on ?Elysia pilosa by David & Leanne Atkinson. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/58

Factsheet

Elysia tomentosa

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