NocturnalSea on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/nocturnalsea/art/Red-Eyed-Dunce-Cap-256975977NocturnalSea

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Red-Eyed Dunce Cap

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Description

The Red-eyed Dunce Cap (Folioculus rubra) is a small worm-like animal that inhabits the porous roots of the Sponge Plant: [link] While the large, red structures on its head are descended from the eyes of its Pseudichthyan ancestors, these organs are now sightless and have instead been modified in the Dunce Cap to serve as photosynthetic organs.
During the day the Dunce Cap migrates to portions of the Sponge Plant's root system that are exposed to the surface, where it extends its pointed head and inflates its "eyes" to maximize the surface area for photosynthesis.
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AmnioticOef's avatar
I still love that eye-photosynesis idea :D .

Are the Dunce Caps and kin photoautotrophs or photoheterotrophs ( a distinction I wasn't aware existed until recently :D )?