Berghia

Berghia are commonly found in shallow waters and their diet consists of strictly Aiptasia Anemone.

[5] The genus Berghia is known to be found in warm and temperate waters and is strictly located in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Mediterranean.

[6] Their small size allows them to live under rocks and corals in shallow water which gives them a better position to not only hide, but to eat their chosen prey, Aiptasia.

[9] Aiptasia have become a common problem in marine tanks due to their spores going undetected in water because it has not been processed correctly.

[10] Since Berghia only eat Aiptasia, many tank owners have turned to using this genus commercially to reduce the populations.

Berghia are now sold through online sources as a consumer product to manage Aiptasia Anemone outbreaks.

This genus has special sensory organs called rhinophores that can chemically detect Aiptasia anemones.

The morphological variability comes from their radular teeth, ceratal arrangement, and rhinophore ornamentation which make it very difficult to tell them apart.

[5] Berghia have dense rhinophores which are long tentacles that function as chemo-receptors to locate food sources that are far away.

[12] Berghia species also have papillae and cerata that are rounded on the posterior side that resemble finger-like projections.

If Berghia species are not careful when they approach the Aiptasia anemones, they can be attacked or land on the mouth area which will kill them.

When the Berghia ingest the anemone, the immature nematocysts are encased within a phagosome and are allowed to mature in the cnidosacs.

However, this species has a specific structure arrangement of their serotonergic apical organ which is similar to their sister groups caenogastropod and opisthobranch.