Macro/Critter ID

DJChesnutRabbit

DJChesnutRabbit

New member
I bought a whole bunch of this macro for 4 bucks from my LFS. I put it in my planted tank which is essentially for growing out food for my hippo tang and foxface. (I'll post a pic soon)
Anyhoo, I noticed this little guy surfing around on the macro. It looks like some type of sea hare, but I dunno. Can anyone help figure out what is is ? Also, can someone id this macro ?
Thanks
-Rabbit

Unknowncritter.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9136592#post9136592 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gemini aquarius(t)
are you talking about that bright green thing in the middle?
Click to expand...
Yes. It's about 1" long and resembles a sea hare. it has the 2 long 'ears' and flattens out and tapers to a point at its end.
 
Ah...I think I found an ID on what the macro is. Caulerpa lentillifera

From the pics I found it most resembles this.

Thanks for the help on the ID !
Now, just to figure out what this creature is.
 
Not sure on the caulerpa, but the green slug is likely to be elysia, a caulerpa/green algae eating slug.

Do you have more than one slug? Where did you get the caulerpa? The slugs are in demand by who would like to breed them specifically for caulerpa problems that some people have.
 
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Interesting reading. It does appear to be a caulerpa eating slug of some kind. It hitch hiked in on this bunch of caulerpa I bought from the LFS. I have no idea where they got it from.
I don't know how many of the guys there are, but I'll be removing them since I don't want them eating my macros. For now I'll put it/them in my QT with a little buch of caulerpa.

Thanks for all the info. This is turning out to be and interesting and educational find. :)
 
Ok...looks like just the 1 slug. I picked thru the macro pretty good. It's now heading to my QT. Since I had it out I busted out the macro cam and took a better pic.
Caulerpaeatingslug.jpg
 
Mmhmm. I had one previously that munched only fern types of Caulerpa, they are probably genus specific predators. Mine had touches of purple to his antennae, and the split top on the back was a bit more spotted with white. But generally, a very similar beast.

Their method of feeding on Caulerpa is really cool. They do a vampire like this, spear it with their mouthparts and then suck the algae dry. You're left with white shells of Caulerpa (which are of course dead).

If you want to keep the Caulerpa, and its a fairly rarer form in that peltata/racemosa complex, give him over to a reefer in your area that's been overrun with Caulerpa on their rock.

>Sarah
 
It's Oxynoe, but behaviorally it's pretty much the same as Elysia.
Keep an eye out for more. Usually they come in as groups and some can be very small and hard to see. If you find more I'd be interested in them.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9144085#post9144085 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
It's Oxynoe, but behaviorally it's pretty much the same as Elysia.
Keep an eye out for more. Usually they come in as groups and some can be very small and hard to see. If you find more I'd be interested in them.
Click to expand...
OK....I'll keep an eye out over the next few days. I'll let you know what I come up with.
 
Oxynoe, interesting, thats a new genus for me to learn! Thanks for the help Green. :D

Do they also spear vegetation and do the spider approach to consuming the macroalgae? Is that what you meant by behaviorally similar?

>Sarah
 
Yep. All sacoglossans feed that way. I just meant they feed on the same stuff in the same way, though probably even better than Elysia. These are one of the main contenders for biological control of C. taxifolia in the Mediterranean.

OT, but are you at FIT?
 
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