Scyllaea Explained

Scyllaea is a genus of nudibranchs. They are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Scyllaeidae.^[1]

The slugs live on floating algae like Sargassum, where they have the same color and shape as the alga and can hardly be seen by predators. They feed on hydrozoa growing on the alga.^[2]

Species

Species in the genus Scyllaea include

• Scyllaea fulva Quoy & Gaimard, 1824
• Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758

Species brought into synonymy:

• Scyllaea dracaena Kelaart, 1858: synonym of Scyllaea fulva Quoy & Gaimard, 1824
• Scyllaea edwardsii A. E. Verrill, 1878: synonym of Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758
• Scyllaea grayae A. Adams & Reeve, 1850: synonym of Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758
• Scyllaea quoyi Gray, 1850: synonym of Scyllaea fulva Quoy & Gaimard, 1824

Nomina dubia

• Scyllaea ghomfodensis Forskål, 1775
• Scyllaea lamyi Vayssière, 1917

References

• Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213
• Pola . M. . Camacho-García . Y. E. . Gosliner . T. M. . Molecular data illuminate cryptic nudibranch species: The evolution of the Scyllaeidae (Nudibranchia: Dendronotina) with a revision of Notobryon . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . June 2012 . 165 . 2 . 311–336 . 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00816.x. free .

External links

• Slugsite.us - Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758
• Jaxshells.org - Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758 Sargassum Nudibranch And Egg Strands

Notes and References

1. Gofas, S. (2012). Scyllaea Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138468 on 2012-07-30
2. Dave Behrens: Scyllaea pelagica Linnaeus, 1758, at Slugsite.us, retrieved on 2012-10-31