04 Leucophytia bidentata

04 Leucophytia bidentata

The head and body are entirely white, except the watery grey tentacles. The translucent body reveals few internal organs as most are also translucent white. Sometimes, the reddish brown jaw (1) is visible in the mouth. The mantle cavity, which functions as a lung for respiration, is sealed off from the exterior by a thick, white, membranous mantle-collar (2). The head has two short, semitransparent cephalic tentacles (3) ; nearly cylindrical with a swollen base and slightly swollen distal half and a hemispherical tip. The tentacles widely diverge from their bases. The distal half of the tentacles is watery grey, sometimes with a pinkish-brown tint (4), and probably contains sensory chemoreceptor cells.
Under stone embedded in soil-like substrate with Myosotella form denticulata at EHWS. Menai Strait, Wales. April 2018.

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