Yellow Costasiella

2 years ago
3

Isn't She Lovely 🌻⁠

But is She a Thief? 🕵🏼‍♀️⁠

The yellow costasiella sucks the sap from the Avrainvillea plant, partially digests it, and stores it inside its body. ⁠

As it does not fully digests the sap, it uses the plastids of the cells to produce energy via photosynthesis, in a process that is called kleptoplasty. ⁠

Derived from the Greek word for thief, “Kleptes,” it means this sea slug "steals" the plastids, which is an area in the cell where photosynthesis is conducted. ⁠

Awesome video by @oceanvizion⁠

Loading comments...