Chlorodesmis
In taxonomy, Chlorodesmis is a genus of green algae, specifically of the Udoteaceae. Algae in this genus produce the toxic diterpene chlorodesmin to defend themselves against generalist herbivores This toxin also kills certain corals that touch the alga. Certain fish like the green coral goby that live in the corals eat the alga to enhance their own toxicity. Other coral dwelling fish like Paragobiodon echinocephalus actively trim the alga even though they don't eat it.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
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Every page naming Chlorodesmis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 469557.