Elysia obtusa

Elysia obtusa is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Plakobranchidae. This sea slug resembles a nudibranch but is not closely related to that order of gastropods, instead it is a sacoglossan.

Elysia obtusa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Sacoglossa
clade Placobranchacea
Superfamily:
Plakobranchoidea
Family:
Plakobranchidae
Genus:
Elysia
Species:
E. obtusa
Binomial name
Elysia obtusa
Baba 1938 [1]

Description

Elysia obtusa grows to about 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long. It is a translucent golden green colour, sparsely covered with white spots. The broad parapodia are distinctively rimmed with white. They are sometimes a much darker shade of green than the rest of the body but that is believed to be when the animal has recently fed and the pigment of the chlorophyll shows through.[2]

Distribution

Elysia obtusa is found in the western Pacific Ocean, its range extending from Hong Kong and Japan to eastern Australia at depths of up to 10 metres (33 ft).[2]

References
  1. Tran, Bastien (2010). "Elysia obtusa Baba, 1938". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  2. Elysia obtusa Baba 1938 The Sea Slug Forum. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
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