Elysia zuleicae

E. zuleicae, Box of Slugs 2, 2/8/15

Description: Small green slug (<2 cm), with rolled rhinophores and an extension on the tail.

Distribution: Western Atlantic and Caribbean (Krug, 2009)

Food plants: Udotea, Halimeda incrassata, Bryopsis, Polyphysa (Christa et al., 2015)

Kleptoplasty: non-functional

Development: Lecithotrophic and planktotrophic (Krug, 2009)

Scientific Literature:

Christa, G., Händeler, K., Kück, P., Vleugels, M., Franken, J., Karmeinski, D., Wägele, H. (2014) Phylogenetic evidence for multiple independent origins of functional kleptoplasty in Sacoglossa (Heterobranchia, Gastropoda). Organisms Diversity and Evolution, 15 (1), pp. 23-36 [K] [F] [Cl] [Pp] [Pt] [Zu]

Camacho-García Y.Pola M.Carmona L.Padula V.Villani G. and Cervera L. (2014Diversity and distribution of the heterobranch sea slug fauna on the Caribbean of Costa RicaCahiers de Biologie Marine 55109127 [NH] [Ev] [Su] [[Tu] Zu] 

Vendetti, J.E., Trowbridge, C.D., Krug, P.J. (2012) Poecilogony and population genetic structure in Elysia pusilla (Heterobranchia: Sacoglossa), and reproductive data for five sacoglossans that express dimorphisms in larval development Integrative and Comparative Biology, 52 (1), pp. 138-150. PDF [NH] [Pu] [Zu] [Ch]

Händeler, K., Grzymbowski, Y.P., Krug, P.J., Wägele, H. (2009) Functional chloroplasts in metazoan cells – A unique evolutionary strategy in animal life. Frontiers in Zoology, 6 (1), art. no. 28. PDF [F] [K] [R]

Krug, P.J. (2009) Not My “Type”: Larval dispersal dimorphisms and bet-hedging in opisthobranch life histories. Biological Bulletin, 216 (3), pp. 355-372. PDF [NH] [Co] [Cr] [Pp] [Pr] [Su] [Tu] [Zu]