Costasiella kuroshimae

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Costasiella kuroshimae
Costasiella cf kuroshimae.png
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 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Family: Costasiellidae
Genus: Costasiella
Species:
C. kuroshimae
Binomial name
Costasiella kuroshimae
Ichikawa, 1993
Costasiella-kuroshimae-distribution.png

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]

Contents

Description

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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacoglossa</span> Clade of gastropods

Sacoglossa are a superorder of small sea slugs and sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the clade Heterobranchia known as sacoglossans. There are 284 valid species recognized within this superorder. Sacoglossans live by ingesting the cellular contents of algae, hence they are sometimes called "sap-sucking sea slugs". Some sacoglossans simply digest the fluid which they suck from the algae, but in some other species, the slugs sequester and use within their own tissues living chloroplasts from the algae they eat, a very unusual phenomenon known as kleptoplasty, for the "stolen" plastids. This earns them the title of the "solar-powered sea slugs", and makes them unique among metazoan organisms, for otherwise kleptoplasty is known only among other euthyneurans and single-celled protists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kleptoplasty</span> Form of algae symbiosis

Kleptoplasty or kleptoplastidy is a process in symbiotic relationships whereby plastids, notably chloroplasts from algae, are sequestered by the host. The word is derived from Kleptes (κλέπτης) which is Greek for thief. The alga is eaten normally and partially digested, leaving the plastid intact. The plastids are maintained within the host, temporarily continuing photosynthesis and benefiting the host.

<i>Elysia chlorotica</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia chlorotica 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 clade. Instead it is a member of the clade Sacoglossa, the sap-sucking sea slugs. Some members of this group use chloroplasts from the algae they eat for photosynthesis, a phenomenon known as kleptoplasty. Elysia chlorotica is one species of such "solar-powered sea slugs". It lives in a subcellular endosymbiotic relationship with chloroplasts of the marine heterokont alga Vaucheria litorea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limapontiidae</span> Family of gastropods

Limapontiidae is a taxonomic family of small to minute sacoglossan sea slugs. These are marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.

<i>Elysia</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Elysia is a genus of sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Plakobranchidae. These animals are colorful sea slugs, and they can superficially resemble nudibranchs, but are not very closely related to them. Instead they are sacoglossans, commonly known as sap-sucking slugs.

<i>Elysia crispata</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia crispata, common name the lettuce sea slug or lettuce slug, is a large and colorful species of sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk.

<i>Elysia timida</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia timida is a species of sacoglossan sea slug, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk. Found in the Mediterranean and nearby parts of the Atlantic, it is herbivorous, feeding on various algae in shallow water.

<i>Elysia pusilla</i> Species of gastropod

Elysia pusilla is a species of small sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Plakobranchidae. It is a sacoglossan.

<i>Plakobranchus ocellatus</i> Species of sea slug

Plakobranchus ocellatus is a species of sea slug, a sacoglossan, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Plakobranchidae. It is found in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Bosellia</i> Genus of gastropods

Bosellia is a genus of sea slugs in the family Plakobranchidae.

Platyhedylidae is a family of sacoglossan sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Platyhedylidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volvatellidae</span> Family of gastropods

Volvatellidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Oxynooidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxynoidae</span> Family of gastropods

Oxynoidae is a family of sea snails, bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Oxynooidea, an opisthobranch group.

<i>Phyllodesmium</i> Genus of gastropods

Phyllodesmium is a genus of predatory sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Myrrhinidae.

<i>Julia exquisita</i> Species of gastropod

Julia exquisita is a small species of sea snail in the family Juliidae.

<i>Costasiella ocellifera</i> Species of gastropod

Costasiella ocellifera is a small (5–13 mm) species of sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the family Costasiellidae. Costasiella ocellifera, and other members of the Costasiellidae family are often mistakenly classified as nudibranchs because they superficially resemble other species of that group, but they are actually a part of the Sacoglossa superorder of sea slugs, also known as the “sap-sucking sea slugs,” "crawling leaves" or the "solar-powered sea slugs." C. ocellifera was discovered by Simroth in 1895, and was initially classified as Doto ocellifera. The Brazilian species, Costasiella liliana, is a synonym of C. ocellifera.Costasiella ocellifera shows long-term retention of functional kleptoplasty.

<i>Elysia marginata</i> Species of sea slug

Elysia marginata is a marine gastropod in the family Plakobranchidae. It is known for its ability to regenerate its whole body and heart after autotomizing it from its head.

<i>Costasiella nonatoi</i> Species of mollusc (sea slug)

Costasiella nonatoi is a species of sacoglossan sea slug in the genus Costasiella. It is one of few species in the genus that is not photosynthetic. The description of this species was based on two specimens which were serially sectioned and designated as the holotype. The species was named after Dr. Edmundo Nonato, a professor at the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photosymbiosis</span> Type of symbiotic relationship

Photosymbiosis is a type of symbiosis where one of the organisms is capable of photosynthesis.

<i>Elysia atroviridis</i> Species of sea slug

Elysia atroviridis is a benthic species of sea slug belonging to the family Plakobranchidae native to the northwest pacific. E. atroviridis slugs live up to three meters deep, and are generally dark green in skin colour with small, black spots all around the body. E. atroviridis is a member of the superorder Sacoglossa, and thus possesses the ability to perform kleptoplasty. E. atroviridis and Elysia marginata are notable for possessing the ability to completely autotomize their bodies and grow them back within 20 days.

References

  1. ↑ Bouchet P (2014). "Costasiella kuroshimae Ichikawa 1993". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Palomares ML, Pauly D, eds. (2023). "Costasiella kuroshimae" in SeaLifeBase. March 2023 version.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
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