Opistobranchs . Opisthobranchs (Opisthobranchia) are an order of molluscs, gastropods. The name derives from the Greek opisthen, behind, and means back gills. There are approximately 3,000 species described worldwide. They are commonly known as sea slugs, sea hares and sea lettuces.
Summary
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- 1 Features
- 2 Food
- 3 Distribution
- 4 Importance
- 5 Sources
characteristics
The vast majority of species in this group lack a shell, although some have an internal shell or similar to that of some snails.
Feeding
Their eating habits are diverse; they can feed on other species of opisthobranchs, sponges, hydrozoan corals , green, red and brown algae, and on the eggs of both fish and other opisthobranchs.
Distribution
Its distribution is wide, ranging from cold Antarctic waters to tropical waters, and both salty and brackish. Almost all the species are epiphaunic and develop in diverse habitats: sand, rocks, corals, sponges, hydrozoans , aquatic vegetation; or also as parasites of other invertebrates or even on eggs.
Importance
Some species of slugs are marketed for various purposes: aquarium hobby ; physiological investigations of nodes and nerves; pharmaceutical industry to isolate and produce active chemical compounds, to be used as antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents; and for studies on the symbiosis between them and the chloroplasts that they acquire through the algae they feed on.