2010,
December 22. Philippine Marine Biodiversity - Definitives
Litho Offset.
Amstar Company, Inc. Perf. 13.5
Singles, Sheets
of 100 (10 x 10)
5p - Sacoglossan Sea Slug
- Singles (800,000)
25p - Boxer
Crab - Singles (1,930,000)
Note: The 5p Sacoglossan Sea Slug is
a reprint of the 5p April 16, 2010 issue which was erroneously
inscribed "Sea Hare".
Source: Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific by Dr. Terence
Gosliner
First Day Covers: Manila
Sacoglossan Sea
Slug (Cyerce Nigricans). The Sacoglossan is an order of
herbivorous sea slugs that peaks in diversity in the tropical
Pacific and Caribbean. A growing research community has begun to
use the Sacoglossan as a model to dispersal, symbiosis, and
speciation in the sea, because these molluscs exhibit a suite of
unique characteristics. For example, many species incorporate
extra-embryonic resources in their egg masses, making them ideal
subjects for studying life-history evolution. They also develop as
either feeding or non-feeding larvae, but a few can produce both
kinds - a rare phenomenon called poecilogony. Most species can
retain photosynthetically active chloroplasts from the algae they
eat, and in one species a gene from the alga transferred into the
genome of the slug — a discovery that has received considerable
attention. Despite the widespread interest in the biology of the
Sacoglossan, many species remain un-described.
(http://sacoglossa.lifedesks.org/)
Boxer Crab
(Lybia Tessellata). Also known as boxing crabs and pom-pom
crabs. They are notable for their mutualism with sea anemones which
grow on their claws for defense. In return, the anemones find new
places to eat and mate. Boxer crabs use at least three different
species of anemones, including Bundeopsis sp. and Triactis producta.
The bonding with the anemone is not required for survival, however,
and boxer crabs have frequently been known to live without them,
sometimes substituting other organisms such as sponges and corals.
Lybia species have been kept in aquariums with successful results.
Although their anemones require more precise levels and sometimes
fail to survive, Lybia species have been known to live several years
in captivity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lybia)