JERUSALEM, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli scientists have discovered an exotic sea slug that feeds on jellyfish polyps and may affect jellyfish swarms in the Mediterranean Sea, the University of Haifa said Wednesday.
The brightly colored sea slug, Caloria militaris, is native to the Indian Ocean but has recently appeared in the eastern Mediterranean. Researchers say its arrival adds to the growing list of invasive species changing the region's marine environment.
The study, published in Frontiers in Zoology, found that the slug feeds on jellyfish polyps, a small and hidden stage of the jellyfish life cycle that attaches to rocks and releases young jellyfish into the water. By feeding on these polyps, the slug could influence the size and frequency of jellyfish blooms, which have become more common in recent years and affect fishing, tourism and coastal industries.
In laboratory experiments, researchers raised slugs collected off Israel's coast and observed them eating up to 192 polyps a day and surviving for as long as 255 days.
Scientists said the species' arrival shows how invasive marine life can disrupt Mediterranean ecosystems and food chains, with effects that could reach far beyond the shoreline. ■
