Phyllodesmium rudmani is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of sea slug

Slug

Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...

, an aolid nudibranch

Nudibranch

A nudibranch is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms...

, a marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 gastropod mollusk in the family Facelinidae

Facelinidae

Facelinidae is a taxonomic family of colorful sea slugs. These are specifically aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine gastropod molluscs.- 2005 taxonomy :...

.

The specific name rudmani is in honor of malacologist William B. Rudman

William B. Rudman

Dr. William B. Rudman, usually known as Bill Rudman , from New Zealand and Australia, is a biologist, a researcher who studies molluscs, in other words, a malacologist...

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Distribution

The distribution of Phyllodesmium rudmani includes North Sulawesi

Sulawesi

Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...

, Indonesia and Luzon

Luzon

Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...

, the Philippines.

Description

The length of the slug is less than 45 mm.

Its cerata

Cerata

Cerata are anatomical structures found in nudibranch sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.They are dorsal and lateral outgrowths on the upper surfaces of the body....

 are similar to (mimicry) closed polyps of soft coral of the genus Xenia

Xenia (genus)

Xenia is a genus of photosynthetic soft marine coral resembling a mushroom, with "arms" coming out from the top that end in many-fingered "hands". It is unique among corals because of its ability to use its "hands" to "pulse" or push water away from the colony in a constant, grabbing motion...

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Phyllodesmium rudmani contain endosymbiotic zooxanthellae of the genus Symbiodinium.

External links

• http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/phyllodrudm
• http://slugsite.us/bow2007/nudwk546.htm
• http://slugsite.us/bow/nudiwk05.htm