Spongiobranchaea australis is a species of sea angel, a form of sea-slug plankton. It has a partially transparent body with small "wings" that it uses to swim in its habitat. It is classified as a pteropod.
| Spongiobranchaea australis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Clade: | Euopisthobranchia |
| Order: | Pteropoda |
| Family: | Pneumodermatidae |
| Genus: | Spongiobranchaea |
| Species: | S. australis |
| Binomial name | |
| Spongiobranchaea australis d'Orbigny, 1836 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Distribution
Spongiobranchaea australis is found in austral waters near the Antarctic region, in the southern hemisphere. The species is primarily concentrated near areas in close proximity to Australia and New Zealand. The areas they live in is pelagic and temperate; 2 °C - 13 °C.[1][2]
Description
The average size was recorded to be 22 mm. Regular sexually active males and females vary around 3–5 mm.[3] The largest ever individual was found to be 2.2 cm.[4]