Re: Advice of keeping Elysia crispata in captivity

October 9, 2001
From: Kathe R. Jensen

Note added 30 May 2006: This may also refer to Elysia clarki, a new species which was previously considered a colour form of E. crispata

Dear Claude,
Sorry I didn't reply to your message before. It arrived just before I left for a fieldtrip, and then I guess I just forgot until now there was another message on Elysia crispata. As I said, it has been almost 20 years since I worked in Florida, but at that time we collected Caulerpa verticillata from tidal canals on Key Largo. One of the best places was near Lake Surprise. You can find more information about sacoglossan habitats in the paper by Clark & DeFreese (1987).

It has been shown previously (Clark & Busacca, 1978) that adult Tridachia (which they were called then) will eat Bryopsis, but it is a little difficult for me to imagine how they can eat cyanobacteria. They feed suctorially, and as far as I know, cyanobacteria do not have liquid "cytoplasm" (they are not eucaryotic cells, so I don't think we should actually call it cytoplasm). The texture of the "cytoplasm" is like a rather stiff jelly, so it would be almost impossible to suck out. However, I cannot explain the change of colour you describe. This is something that need to be studied in more detail, e.g. by electron-microscopy and extraction of pigments.

References:
• Clark, K.B. & Busacca, M. 1978. Feeding specificity and chloroplast retention in four tropical Ascoglossa, with a discussion of the extent of chloroplast symbiosis and the evolution of the order. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 44: 272-282.
• Clark, K.B. & DeFreese, D. 1987. Population ecology of Caribbean Ascoglossa (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia): A study of specialized algal herbivores. American Malacological Bulletin, 5: 259-280.

Greetings,
Kathe

jensen@ait.ac.th

Jensen, K.R., 2001 (Oct 9) Re: Advice of keeping Elysia crispata in captivity. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/5423

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