The lettuce sea slug is a species of sacoglossan sea slug found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic and Caribbean, named for its ruffled, leaf-like body, which resembles a head of lettuce and can vary widely in color. Like several other Elysia species, it is capable of kleptoplasty, retaining functional chloroplasts from the algae it eats within its own tissues, which allows it to photosynthesize for a period after feeding.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 1 System (Realm) Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Lettuce Sea Slug
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Antigua and Barbuda, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Bahamas, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Cuba, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Jamaica, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Panama, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: United States, found in there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Elysia crispata
2. GBIF Species API
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Wikidata: Lettuce Sea Slug
Child Taxon Of: Gastropoda, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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