About Phyllodesmium longicirrum (Bergh, 1905)
Phyllodesmium longicirrum (Bergh, 1905) is a very large species of nudibranch that reaches at least 140 mm in length. It hosts photosynthetic zooxanthellae, which let it obtain energy from sunlight. This trait gives the species its common name, the solar-powered phyllodesmium. This common name is actually misleading, because many other species in the genus Phyllodesmium can also carry out photosynthesis, though this species has developed this ability to the greatest extent. This species is distributed across Australia and Indonesia. In its ecosystem, Phyllodesmium longicirrum feeds on the soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum, which belongs to the family Alcyoniidae.
