Phyllodesmium briareum

Phyllodesmium briareum is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Facelinidae.
File:Phyllodesmium_briareum_and_Briareum_violacea.jpg|left|thumb|Phyllodesmium briareum looks very similar to the soft coral Briareum violaceum.

Distribution

The distribution of Phyllodesmium briareum includes Indo-Pacific and Australia.

Description

Phyllodesmium briareum uses camouflage and looks like the soft coral Briareum violacea with which it is often found. It grows to 25 mm in length. This species contains zooxanthellae but has cerata of conventional aeolid shape.

Ecology

Phyllodesmium briareum is reported to feed on a number of species of briareid soft coral including Solenopodium stelleri and Briareum stecheri. It is also reported from Pachyclavularia violacea.