Red sponge nudibranch

Red sponge nudibranch
Rostanga elandsia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Nudipleura
clade Nudibranchia
clade Euctenidiacea
clade Doridacea
Superfamily: Doridoidea
Family: Discodorididae
Genus: Rostanga
Species: R. elandsia
Binomial name
Rostanga elandsia
Garovoy, Valdes & Gosliner, 2001[1]

The red sponge nudibranch, Rostanga elandsia, is a species of dorid nudibranch. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae.

Distribution

This species has so far only been found around the southern African coast from the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula to the eastern side of False Bay. It has been found from the mid-intertidal zone to at least 30 m.[1][2] It is endemic to South Africa.

Description

The red sponge nudibranch is extremely well camouflaged on its food source, a red sponge

The red sponge nudibranch is a yellow-orange to red dorid with scattered small black spots on its notum. It is extremely well camouflaged on its prey sponges. Its gills are arranged around the anus and its rhinophores are perfoliate. It may reach a total length of 30 mm.[3]

Ecology

This species feeds on red and yellow-orange sponges which determine the animal's colour. The egg mass is a transparent spiral collar with large orange eggs visible within.

References

  1. 1 2 Garovoy J. B., Valdés, A. & Gosliner T. M. (2001) "Phylogeny of the genus Rostanga (Nudibranchia), with descriptions of three new species from South Africa". Journal of Molluscan Studies 67: 131-144. abstract.
  2. ↑ Gosliner T.M. 1987. Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN 0-930118-13-8
  3. ↑ Zsilavecz G. 2007. Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. ISBN 0-620-38054-3
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