Plakobranchus sp. e944 is very common in some areas in the Marshalls, and has been found in good numbers at Enewetak and Kwajalein Atolls. It is most commonly found intertidally, in reef quarries, and on shallow lagoon reefs and pinnacles. It differs from the better known Plakobranchus ocellatus by its fairly large orange spots surrounded by black rings and interconnected by a network of tiny dots over the head and parapodia. It and other Plakobranchus species are the preferred food item for the carnivorous nudibranch Gymnodoris striata. Like a number of other sacoglossans, it harvests chloroplasts from the plant cells it eats and stores them under its parapodia, two flaps that cover its back and meet in the middle.
Created 8 November 2021