Costasiella kuroshimae
| Costasiella kuroshimae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Costasiella cf. kuroshimae on Avrainvillea erecta. Locality: Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. The length of the slug is about 1 cm (3⁄8 in). | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Family: | Costasiellidae |
| Genus: | Costasiella |
| Species: | C. kuroshimae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Costasiella kuroshimae Ichikawa, 1993
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| |
Costasiella kuroshimae is a species of sacoglossan sea slug. Costasiella kuroshimae are shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Costasiellidae.[1] Despite being animals, they indirectly perform photosynthesis, via kleptoplasty.[2]
Description
[edit]Discovered in 1993 off the coast of the Japanese island Kuroshima, Costasiella kuroshimae have been found in the waters near Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They live in tropical climates.[3] The type locality is Kuroshima, Taketomi, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.[4]
They have two dark eyes and two rhinophores that emerge from the tops of their heads that look not unlike sheep's ears or insect antennae. They range in size from 5 to 10 mm (1⁄4 to 3⁄8 inch) in length.
Costasiella kuroshimae are capable of a physiological process called kleptoplasty, in which they retain the chloroplasts from the algae they feed on. Absorbing the chloroplasts from algae then enables them to indirectly perform photosynthesis.[5]
Costasiella kuroshimae is a selective feeder of algae from the genus Avrainvillea, from which it sequesters chloroplasts into its own cells, retaining them for short-term photosynthesis. Even in the absence of active photosynthesis, chloroplasts provide a nutrient storage or "larder" that facilitates the survival of the slug without food for an extended period of time.[6] This points out the peculiar adaptation of C. kuroshimae among nonphotosynthetic marine animals.
Gallery
[edit]-
A frontal picture of a Costasiella kuroshimae. -
Costasiella kuroshimae taken in Secret Bay Anilao dive site, Batangas, Philippines -
Costasiella kuroshimae at Wakatobi National Park, 2015 -
Costasiella kuroshimae at Koh Phangan, 2014 -
Costasiella kuroshimae at Bali, Indonesia.
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References
[edit]- ^ Bouchet P (2014). "Costasiella kuroshimae Ichikawa 1993". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ Christa, Gregor; B. Gould, Sven; Franken, Johanna; Vleugels, Manja; Karmeinski, Dario; Handeler, Katharina; F. Martin, William; Wagele, Heike (23 May 2014). "Functional kleptoplasty in a limapontioidean genus: phylogeny, food preferences and photosynthesis in Costasiella, with a focus on C. ocellifera (Gastropoda: Sacoglossa)". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 80 (5): 499–507. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyu026.
- ^ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2023). "Costasiella kuroshimae" in SeaLifeBase. March 2023 version.
- ^ Jensen KR (2007). "Biogeography of the Sacoglossa (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia)" (PDF). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge. 55 (3/4): 255–81. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-05.
- ^ Händeler K, Grzymbowski YP, Krug PJ, Wägele H (December 2009). "Functional chloroplasts in metazoan cells - a unique evolutionary strategy in animal life". Frontiers in Zoology. 6 (1): 28. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-6-28. PMC 2790442. PMID 19951407.
- ^ Christa, G., Wescott, L., Schaadt, T., Händeler, K., & Waegele, H. (2014). Photosynthesis in Sacoglossa: the impact of food sources, photosynthetic efficiency, and the occurrence of kleptoplasty in Costasiella ocellifera. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 461, 57-61.