Laboratory Rearing of the Photosynthetic Sea Slug Elysia crispata (Gastropoda, Sacoglossa): Implications for the Study of Kleptoplasty and Species Conservation.

ABSTRACT: Some Sacoglossa sea slugs are capable of stealing and maintaining functional intracellular chloroplasts-kleptoplasts-from their macroalgal prey for periods of up to several months, a process known as kleptoplasty. Although the cultivation of these marine invertebrates under laboratory conditions is crucial for research in various fields (e.g., endosymbiosis, animal physiology, discovery of new marine natural products), rearing protocols are scarce. This study presents a standardized protocol for the laboratory rearing of large numbers of the sacoglossan tropical sea slug Elysia crispata. The detailed protocol successfully facilitated embryonic development, larval metamorphosis, and juvenile-to-adult transition, allowing the rearing of multiple generations. Two groups, characterized

SUBMITTER: Cartaxana P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12837971 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature