#heterobranchia

[wikipediapictures]

Caldukia

“Caldukia rubiginosa, a proctonotid nudibranch. Porirua, New Zealand.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Just because it looks like a worm, and crawls like a worm, doesn't mean it's a worm-- sometimes it's a worm slug! These gastropods are named for their strong resemblance to common worms; in particular their long, thin bodies and pink coloration. Also like worms, worm slugs are most commonly found underground, consuming bits of soil, detritus, or worm feces as they tunnel along.

(Image: A worm slug (Boettgerilla pallens) by Jozef Grego)

If you like what I do, consider buying me a ko-fi!

[birdblues]

Variable Neon Slug

[rattyexplores]

Caribbean Leatherleaf Slug.

30/07/23 - Gastropoda: Sarasinula plebeia

QLD:WET - El Arish, remnant vegetation on farmland

[faunalregion]

[unnaturalcuriositiesblog]

[worldofleaves]

[chlorophyll-and-chitin]

Cornu aspersum eggs

19-DEC-2022

Melbourne, Vic

[proartspb]

Морские зайцы (моллюски) — род брюхоногих моллюсков из семейства Aplysiidae подкласса Heterobranchia http://dlvr.it/T5GJG4

[nudibranchnerd]

Meet the…

SEA SHEEP!

Costasiella kuroshimae, aka the leaf slug, sea sheep, and loads of other names, is a type of sacoglossan sea slug!

Scientific Classifications:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Clade: Heterobranchia

Informal Group: Opisthobranchia

Clade: Sacoglossa

Clade: Plakobranchacea

Superfamily: Limapontioidea

Family: Costasiellidae

Genus: Costasiella

These little cuties are around Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia! They are capable of photosynthesis via a process called kleptoplasty, where they retain the chloroplasts from the algae they eat.

Their lifespan is between 6 months to a year. They are 5 millimeters to 1 centimeter

[wikipediapictures]

Gasflame nudibranch

[troutreznor]

so i went to read about nudibranchs on wikipedia and immediately got distracted going down the link rabbit hole of "Sacoglossan" sea slugs (often confused with nudibranchs) and im just gonna c/p some of the wikipedia about them -

Sacoglossa, commonly known as the sacoglossans or the "solar-powered sea slugs", are a superorder of small sea slugs and sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the clade Heterobranchia. Sacoglossans live by ingesting the cellular contents of algae, hence they are sometimes called "sap-sucking sea slugs".

...

Some sacoglossans simply digest the fluid which they suck from the algae, but in some other species, the slugs sequester and use within their own tissues living chloroplasts from the algae they eat, a very unusual phenomenon known as kleptoplasty, for the "stolen" plastids. This earns them the title of the "solar-powered sea slugs", and makes them unique among metazoan organisms, for otherwise kleptoplasty is known only among single-celled protists.

...

Also known as chloroplast symbiosis, kleptoplasty is the energy-providing mechanism that gives the Sacoglossan’s the nickname, “solar-powered sea slugs”, and E. crispata the name, “lettuce sea slug.” As algal food is being digested, the chloroplasts are absorbed into the cells lining the digestive tract and up into their parapodia. How many chloroplasts the slug sequesters and the length of retention depends on the individual species of slug. Chloroplast retention in E. crispata tends to last around 40 days. Given the variation in their diet, chloroplasts from different algal species have been found to be taken up into the same cells, functioning normally alongside the other.

tl;dr these sea slugs eat algae and store their chloroplasts for months to photosynthesize for them when food is scarce; sacoglossan sea slugs are the only multicellular organisms known to do this (if I understand correctly 😅)

..

ik everyone probably knows about them but im in love rn so anyways here's some pics!

(forgive that I didnt pay attention to the specific species when grabbing pics)

oh to be a sea slug eating sunlight in the ocean 🩵💚💙

[birdblues]

Glossodoris cincta

[rattyexplores]

Miniature Awlsnail Out and About

Subulina octona

23/02/23

[intnewst]

Космический голожаберник. Голожаберники — отряд морских брюхоногих моллюсков из подкласса Heterobranchia. К особенностям строения относится отсутствие как раковины, так и выраженной мантии. Некоторые виды ядовиты и ярко окрашены. Все голожаберники — гермафродиты. Очень разборчивы в еде.

[ribosome-papers]

A combined phylogenetic strategy illuminates the evolution of Goniodorididae nudibranchs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia)

Pubmed: http://dlvr.it/T05JVg