Phyllodesmium rudmani

Phyllodesmium rudmani

"Phyllodesmium rudmani" is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae. The specific name "rudmani" is in honor of malacologist William B. Rudman.
Can you see the Nudibranch? The Phyllodesmium rudmani is calles Xenia Mimic because its cerata looks like the polyps of the Xenia corals. In the picture, the cluster of Xenia corals is on the left and on the left side, is a small Phyllodesmium rudmani Nudibranch, which you can determined by the 2 rhinopores. https://www.jungledragon.com/image/52457/xenia_mimic_nudibranch_-_phyllodesmium_rudmani.html Bali,Geotagged,Indonesia,Nudibranch,Phyllodesmium rudmani,Xenia Mimic Nudibranch

Appearance

The length of the slug is up to 45 mm. Its cerata are similar to closed polyps of soft coral of the genus "Xenia".Rudman, W.B., 2007 [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

"Phyllodesmium rudmani" contain endosymbiotic zooxanthellae of the genus "Symbiodinium".
Xenia Coral Mimic Nudibranch This Nudibranch mimics the host foodsource, Xenia Corals. The cerata of this Nudibranch is very similar to the pulsating polyps of the Xenia Corals, which they feeds on. Geotagged,Philippines,Phyllodesmium rudmani,Spring,anilao,batangas,nudibranch,scuba diving,underwater,xenia mimic

Distribution

The distribution of "Phyllodesmium rudmani" includes North Sulawesi, Indonesia and Luzon, the Philippines.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderNudibranchia
FamilyMyrrhinidae
GenusPhyllodesmium
SpeciesP. rudmani
Photographed in
Indonesia
Philippines