2026 · Photo: Boaz Liebes
Phyllodesmium jakobsenae
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 15–30 mm
- Depth
- 0–10 m
- Native range
- Western Pacific: Indonesia (type locality Bunaken, North Sulawesi) and the Philippines.
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Description
A solar-powered aeolid that lives on, feeds on and mimics colonies of the soft coral Xenia, often burrowing deep inside the colony rather than sitting on top. It retains zooxanthellae from its prey, which keep photosynthesising in the cerata; unusually for the genus, it has no branches of the digestive gland in the body wall.
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Identification
Body, rhinophores and oral tentacles translucent white, with pale yellow gonads showing through. The cerata (25–35, in four clusters per side) have a smooth cylindrical stalk and a flattened, spatula- or arrowhead-shaped upper third with a pale central stripe flanked by brown bands of zooxanthellae; the tips often curl. Rhinophores smooth and almost as long as the oral tentacles.
Similar species
Phyllodesmium rudmani, another Xenia mimic, has swollen, longitudinally ridged ceratal tips resembling closed polyps rather than flattened blades. P. crypticum and P. pecten have rhinophores only about two-thirds the length of the oral tentacles.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Shallow coral reefs and lagoons with seagrass patches, living inside Xenia colonies; from the intertidal zone to at least 10 m.
Food
Soft corals of the genus Xenia (Xeniidae).
