Rostanga rubra

Rostanga rubra, is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae.

Rostanga rubra
Rostanga rubra depicted in Alder and Hancock A monograph of the British nudibranchiate Mollusca as Doris coccinea Forbes, 1848
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Nudibranchia
Suborder: Doridina
Superfamily: Doridoidea
Family: Discodorididae
Genus: Rostanga
Species:
R. rubra
Binomial name
Rostanga rubra
(Risso, 1818)[1]
Synonyms
  • Doris coccinea Forbes, 1848
  • Rostanga perspicillata Bergh, 1881
  • Rostanga rufescens Iredale & O'Donoghue, 1923
  • Rostanga temarana Pruvot-Fol, 1953

Distribution

This species was described from Nice, France. It has been reported from Norway to Spain on the Atlantic Ocean coasts of Europe and from the Canary Islands and Madeira.

Description

Rostanga rubra is a bright orange to reddish-orange in colour and the dorsum is covered with caryophyllidia; in general it is very similar to other species of Rostanga.[2]

Ecology

This nudibranch is reported to feed on the red sponges, Ophlitaspongia seriata, Clathria atrasanguinea and Ophlitaspongia kildensis (family Microcionidae).[3]

References
  1. Risso, A., 1818. Mémoire Sur quelques Gastéropodes nouveaux, Nudibranches et Tectibranches observés dans la Mer de Nice. Journal de Physique, de Chimie, d'Histoire Naturelle et des Arts 87:368-377.
  2. Rudman, W.B., 2002 (February 17) Rostanga rubra (Risso, 1818). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
  3. Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C., 2010. Rostanga rubra (Risso, 1818).[In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
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