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Elysia (genus)
Encyclopedia
Elysia is a genus
of sea slug
s, marine
gastropod molluscs in the family Pleurobranchidae
. These animals are colorful sea slugs, and they can superficially resemble nudibranch
s, but are not very closely related to them. Instead they are sacoglossa
ns, commonly known as sap-sucking slugs.
This genus was previously sometimes considered to be in the family
Stiligeridae
, and was also previously placed in the family Elysiiidae.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of sea slug
Sea slug
Sea slug is a common name used for several different groups of saltwater snails that either lack a shell or have only an internal shell, in other words this name is used for various lineages of marine gastropod mollusks that are either not conchiferous or appear not to be.The phrase "sea slug" is...
s, marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod molluscs in the family Pleurobranchidae
Pleurobranchidae
The Pleurobranchidae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the order Notaspidea.The species in the family Pleurobranchidae have a prominent mantle and an internal shell that becomes reduced or is lost in adults. Some adult species have been seen feeding on ascidians...
. These animals are colorful sea slugs, and they can superficially resemble nudibranch
Nudibranch
A nudibranch is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms...
s, but are not very closely related to them. Instead they are sacoglossa
Sacoglossa
Sacoglossa, commonly known as the sacoglossans or the "sap-sucking sea slugs", are a clade of small sea slugs and sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the clade Heterobranchia...
ns, commonly known as sap-sucking slugs.
This genus was previously sometimes considered to be in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Stiligeridae
Stiligeridae
Limapontiidae is a taxonomic family of small to minute sacoglossan sea slugs. These are marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. These sea slugs resembling nudibranchs, but are not closely related to them...
, and was also previously placed in the family Elysiiidae.
Species
Species in the genus Elysia include :- Elysia abei Baba, 1955
- Elysia amakusana Baba, 1955
- Elysia annedupontae Ortea, Caballer, Moro & Espinosa, 2005
- Elysia asbecki Wagele, Stemmer, Burghardt & Handeler, 2010
- Elysia atroviridis Baba, 1955
- Elysia australis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)
- Elysia babai Pruvot-Fol, 1946
- Elysia bangtawaensis Swennen, 1997
- Elysia bella (Pease, 1860)
- Elysia bennettae Thompson, 1973
- Elysia canguzua Er. Marcus, 1955
- Elysia catulus (Gould, 1870)
- Elysia chilkensis Eliot, 1916
- Elysia chitwa Er. Marcus, 1955
- Elysia chloroticaElysia chloroticaElysia chlorotica, common name the eastern emerald elysia, is a small-to-medium-sized species of green sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc. This sea slug superficially resembles a nudibranch, yet it does not belong to that suborder of gastropods. Instead it is a member of the...
Gould, 1870 - eastern emerald elysia, emerald elysia - Elysia clarkiElysia clarkiElysia clarki is a species of sacoglossan sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Placobranchidae.- Description :Elysia clarki attains relatively large size...
Pierce, Curtis, Massey, Bass, Karl & Finney, 2006 - Elysia coodgeensis (Angas, 1864)
- Elysia cornigera Nuttall, 1989
- Elysia crispataElysia crispataElysia crispata, common name the lettuce sea slug, is a large and colorful species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk.The lettuce slug resembles a nudibranch, but it is not closely related to that order of gastropods...
Mørch, 1863 - lettuce slug - Elysia deborahae Ortea, Caballer, Moro & Espinosa, 2005
- Elysia degeneri Ostergaard, 1955
- Elysia diomedea (Bergh, 1894)
- Elysia eugeniae Ortea & Esponosa, 2002
- Elysia evelinae Marcus, 1957
- Elysia expansa (O'Donoghue, 1924)
- Elysia fezi Vilella, 1968
- Elysia filicauda Jensen & Wells, 1990
- Elysia flava Verrill, 1901
- Elysia flavipunctata Ichikawa, 1993
- Elysia flavomacula Jensen, 1990
- Elysia furvacauda Burn, 1958
- Elysia gordanae Thompson & Jaklin, 1988
- Elysia grandifolia Kelaart, E.F. (1858)
- Elysia grandis Bergh, 1872
- Elysia haingsisiana Bergh, 1905
- Elysia halimedae Macnae, 1954
- Elysia hamatanii Baba, 1957
- Elysia hedgpethi Er. Marcus, 1961
- Elysia hendersoni Eliot, 1899
- Elysia hetta Perrone, 1990
- Elysia hirasei Baba, 1955
- Elysia japonica Eliot, 1913
- Elysia kushimotoensis Baba, 1957
- Elysia leucolegnote Jensen, 1990
- Elysia lobata Gould, 1852
- Elysia macnaei Marcus, 1982
- Elysia manriquei Ortea & Moro, 2009
- Elysia maoriaElysia maoriaElysia maoria is a small to medium-sized species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Placobranchidae. This sea slug resembles a nudibranch, but it is not closely related to that order of gastropods, instead it is a sacoglossan. It occurs in New Zealand and Australia....
Powell, 1937 - Elysia marcusi (Marcus, 1972) - synonym: Bosellia marcusi Marcus, 1972
- Elysia margaritae Fez, 1962
- Elysia minima Ichikawa, 1993
- Elysia nealae Ostergaard, 1955
- Elysia nigrocapitata Baba, 1957
- Elysia nigropunctata (Pease, 1871)
- Elysia nisbeti Thompson, 1977
- Elysia obtusa Baba, 1938
- Elysia oerstedii Mørch, 1859
- Elysia ornataElysia ornataElysia ornata is a species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk. This sea slug superficially resembles a nudibranch, yet it does not belong to that suborder of gastropods...
(Swainson, 1840) - ornate elysia - Elysia papillosa A. E. Verrill, 1901 - papillose elysia
- Elysia patagonica Munian & Ortea, 1997
- Elysia patina Ev. Marcus, 1980
- Elysia picta A. E. Verrill, 1901 - painted elysia : synonym of Thuridilla picta (Verrill, 1901)
- Elysia pilosa Risbec, 1928
- Elysia pratensis Ortea & Espinosa, 1996
- Elysia punctata Kelaart, 1857
- Elysia purchoni Thompson, 1977
- Elysia pusillaElysia pusillaElysia pusilla is a species of small sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Placobranchidae. It is a sacoglossan.Elysia pusilla feeds on the green alga Halimeda and incorporates functioning chloroplasts into its body, thus it is known as a solar-powered sea slug....
Bergh, 1872 - synonym: Elysiella pusilla - Elysia rufescens (Pease, 1871)
- Elysia scops Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1967
- Elysia serca Er. Marcus, 1955 - Caribbean seagrass elysia, seagrass elysia
- Elysia setoensis Hamatani, 1968
- Elysia siamensis Swennen, 1997
- Elysia slimora Er. Marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1966
- Elysia stylifera (Jensen, 1997)
- Elysia subornataElysia subornataElysia subornata is a species of small sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Placobranchidae.This sea slug resembles a nudibranch, but it is not closely related to that order of gastropods, instead it is a sacoglossan....
A. E. Verrill, 1901 - Elysia sugashimae Baba, 1955
- Elysia thompsoni Jensen, 1993
- Elysia timidaElysia timidaElysia timida is a species of sacoglossan sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk. It feeds on the algae Acetabularia acetabulum and Padina pavonia....
Risso, 1818 - Elysia tokarensis Baba, 1957
- Elysia tomentosaElysia tomentosaElysia tomentosa is a species of sacoglossan sea slug, a shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Placobranchidae.- External links :*...
Jensen, 1997 - Elysia translucens Pruvot-Fol, 1957
- Elysia trilobata Heller & Thompson, 1983
- Elysia trisinuata Baba, 1949
- Elysia tuca Ev. Marcus and Er. Marcus, 1967
- Elysia verrucosa Jensen, 1985
- Elysia viridisElysia viridisElysia viridis or the sap-sucking slug is a small-to-medium-sized species of green sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Placobranchidae....
(Montagu, 1804) - plant-sucking slug - Elysia vreelandae Marcus & Marcus, 1970
- Elysia yaeyamana Baba, 1936
- Elysia zuleicae Ortea & Espinosa, 2002
Further reading
- Powell A. W. B.Arthur William Baden PowellDr Arthur William Baden Powell CBE was a New Zealand malacologist, naturalist and palaeontologist, a major influence in the study and classification of New Zealand molluscs through much of the twentieth century. He was known to his friends and family by his third name, "Baden".Powell was born at...
, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers LtdHarperCollinsHarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1 - Jensen K.R. (2007) Biogeography of the Sacoglossa (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 55:255–281
- Händeler K. & Wägele H. (2007) Preliminary study on molecular phylogeny of Sacoglossa and a compilation of their food organisms. Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 55: 231-254.
- http://www.catalogueoflife.org accessed 11 June 2009