Rostanga muscula

Rostanga muscula
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. muscula
Binomial name
Rostanga muscula
(Abraham, 1877)[1]
Synonyms

Rostanga rubicunda

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

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[2]

Description

This dorid nudibranch is bright orange to reddish-orange, and the dorsum is covered with caryophyllidia; it is very similar to other species of Rostanga.[2]

Ecology

This is a common intertidal species. It feeds on the red sponge, Microciona coccinea (family Microcionidae). It is also found to eat the introduced sponge, Ophlitaspongia seriata (=Ophlitaspongia papilla) and the native Holoplocamium neozelanicum[3]

References

  1. Abraham P. 1877. Revision of the anthobranchiate nudibranchiate Mollusca with descriptions or notices of forty-one hitherto undescribed species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1877: 196-269
  2. 1 2 Rudman, W.B. & Avern, G.J. (1989) The genus Rostanga Bergh, 1879 (Nudibranchia:Dorididae) in the Indo-West Pacific. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 96: 281-338.
  3. Ayling, A. M. (1968) The feeding behaviour of Rostanga rubicunda (Mollusca: Nudibranchia). Tane, 14: 25-42.

External links

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