Biology:Costasiella kuroshimae

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Short description: Species of mollusc (sea slug)


Costasiella kuroshimae
Costasiella cf kuroshimae.png
Costasiella cf. kuroshimae on Avrainvillea erecta. Locality: Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. The length of the slug is about 1 cm (38 in).
Scientific classification
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C. kuroshimae
Binomial name
Costasiella kuroshimae
Ichikawa, 1993
Costasiella-kuroshimae-distribution.png

Costasiella kuroshimae—also known as a "leaf slug",[1] or "leaf sheep"[2]—is a species of sacoglossan sea slug. Costasiella kuroshimae are shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Costasiellidae.[3] They range in size from 5 to 10 mm (14 to 38 inch) in length.

Description

Discovered in 1993 off the coast of the Japanese island Kuroshima, Costasiella kuroshimae have been found in the waters near Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They live in tropical climates.[4] They have two dark eyes and two rhinophores that emerge from the tops of their heads that look not unlike sheep's ears or insect antennae, hence the common name "leaf sheep".

Costasiella kuroshimae are capable of a physiological process called kleptoplasty, in which they retain the chloroplasts from the algae they feed on. Absorbing the chloroplasts from algae then enables them to indirectly perform photosynthesis.[5]

The type locality is Kuroshima, Taketomi, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.[6]

References

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q5175068 entry