Elysia viridis (Montagu, 1804)
Green Elysia
Elysia viridis
photo by Scott, Sue

Family:  Plakobranchidae ()
Max. size:  4.5 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthic; marine; depth range 5 - 20 m
Distribution:  Atlantic, Western Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean: South Africa and Northern Europe.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Inhabits the intertidal rock pools (Refs. 124797, 124805). Found in sublittoral unconsolidated bottoms, composed equally of very coarse sand, gravel and differently sized pebbles (Ref. 124808). Found on algal hosts such as Bryopsis, Halimeda (Ref. 866), Codium, Cladophora, and Chaetomorpha spp. (Refs. 124807, 125088). Feeds upon several species of siphonaceous green algae, especially Codium fragile and Codium stephensiae (Ref. 866). Also lives and feeds on photophilic algae ( and Flabellia petiolata) and where it is extremely cryptic. It is capable of biosynthesizing de novo secondary metabolites of the polypropionates type with a defensive mission(Ref. 124792). This species has cold affinity (Ref. 124808).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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