US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
S. pelagica, along with almost all nudibranchs, are of very little economic importance to humans. There is virtually no market for nudibranchs to be used economically existing in the world today (Morris 1980).
S. pelagica is carnivorous. It usually feeds on hydroids that are living in the same Sargassum weed in which it makes its home. S. pelagica does not hunt its prey in the traditional sense, but simply floats or grazes in its particular patch of sea weeds (Hickman 1973).
Although the range of S. pelagica does cover much of the Atlantic ocean, it is usually found in warmer waters. More specifically, S. pelagica is most common in the Gulf of Mexico (Fatheringham and Brunmeister 1989).
Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native )
Pelagic: As stated above, S. pelagica spends almost all of its life grazing in patches of drifting sea weed, more specifically Sargassum weed. S. pelagica mimics its environment, the Sargassum sea weeds, very accurately. The leaf-like lobes along its back, and its specific coloration make it almost impossible to spot when floating in a patch of Sargassum. This is a form of camoflauge that is very successful in deceiving pradators.
The nudibranch, S. pelagica, is often called a sea slug. The shell and the mantle cavity have been completely lost, and only secondary gills are present (Mill 1972). They are bilaterally symmetrical and have two pairs of sensory organs (tentacles) near the head, an anterior pair of cephalic tentacles, and a posterior ring of tentacles. These tentacles don't aid in capturing prey, but are sensory organs or aid in respiration. They resemble leaf-like lobes, a form of cryptology in their environment. S. pelagica is orange-brown and yellow in color, and is about 3 to 4 inches (7-10 cm) in length (Fatheringham and Brunemeister 1989).
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry
S. pelagica is hermaphroditic, but cross-fertilizes through reciprocal copulation. Fertilization is internal. Characteristic of nudibranchs, the larva of S. pelagica pass through a planktonic trochophore-like stage (Kaestner 1967).
Scyllaea pelagica, common name the sargassum nudibranch, is a species of nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Scyllaeidae. This species lives among floating seaweed in the world's oceans, feeding on hydroids.
Scyllaea pelagica is a sturdy nudibranch that grows to a length of about 10 cm (4 in). It is dorso-ventrally flattened. At the anterior end there are two pairs of sensory tentacles and a pair of rhinophores enclosed in large rhinophore sheaths. On the sides of the body are two pairs of irregular lobes with toothed edges and squared ends known as cerata. The inner surfaces of these bear numerous small gills. At the posterior end of the body there is a flattened dorsal crest. The skin is smooth except for a few conical tubercles. The colour is a dull yellowish-brown or greenish-brown with some small white markings. Sometimes there is a row of tiny bright blue spots along each side.[1][2][3]
Scyllaea pelagica occurs globally in pantropical oceans among floating masses of weed.[2] It is especially common in the Caribbean area and Gulf of Mexico and it often gets washed up onto the beach with seaweed after storms.[4]
Scyllaea pelagica is nearly always a pelagic species but is occasionally found on brown seaweed anchored to the seabed. It spends its life among sargasso weed (Sargassum spp.) floating in tropical seas where it is well camouflaged. It feeds by grazing on the hydroids that grow on the weed[3] and if it gets detached from the fronds can swim to a limited extent by flexing its body.[4]
Scyllaea pelagica is a hermaphrodite. Two individuals come together to exchange sperm through their genital openings and fertilisation is internal. The eggs are laid in a jelly coated mass on the weed and the trochophore larvae are planktonic.[3] Studies using radioactive carbon labelling have shown that in nutrient-poor waters such as the Sargasso Sea, the larvae of Scyllaea pelagica can directly incorporate into their epidermis and cerata, amino acids that have been added to the water.[5]
Scyllaea pelagica, common name the sargassum nudibranch, is a species of nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Scyllaeidae. This species lives among floating seaweed in the world's oceans, feeding on hydroids.
