類別

水下與海洋

參賽者

蘇俊育

作品名稱

香蕉藻民宿的房客：肯果柱狀海天牛 Guest in Banana Algae B&B: Ercolania kencolesi

科學圖說 Scientific introduction

這種海蛞蝓於2007年在蜥蜴島被發現，為了表彰長期贊助蜥蜴島研究站的 Ken Coles 先生，命名為「肯果柱狀海天牛」。其生態行為特殊，會在香蕉藻表面用齒舌鑽洞，然後進入藻類組織中，刮取吸食藻類細胞液，並將葉綠體原封不動地貯存在背上長條狀的露鰓中，像帶著太陽能行動電源，靠葉綠體行光合作用的能量生活。繁殖時，將卵團以逆時鐘螺旋形產在藻類組織壁上。卵於藻內孵化，藻體崩解後，浮游性幼蟲就被釋放出來。這類海蛞蝓高度依賴香蕉藻生存和繁殖。

This species of sea slug was discovered on Lizard Island in 2007, and named Ercolania kencolesi to honor Ken Coles for his long-term support of the Lizard Island Research Station. With its radula, this animal cuts open a hole in the banana algae and burrows itself into the algal tissue. Scraping the tissue, it sucks up cell fluid. Instead of being digested, the chloroplasts of the algae are transferred and stored intact in the long strip-like cerata on the slug’s back. As they undergo photosynthesis, these chloroplasts actually function like tiny solar batteries in the sea slug. During the reproductive period, E. kencolesi lays eggs in a counterclockwise spiral on the tissue wall inside the algae. As the algae frond dissolves, planktonic larvae are released. This species specifically relies on banana algae for reproduction and survival.