Rostanga calumus

Rostanga calumus
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. calumus
Binomial name
Rostanga calumus
Rudman & Avern, 1989[1]

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

Distribution

This species was described from Tasmania. It has subsequently been reported from New South Wales and western Australia.

Description

This nudbranch is red, and the dorsum is covered with caryophyllidia. There are regularly distributed, rounded brown patches all over the back, and scattered white specks at the edge of the mantle. The rhinophore club is edged with white pigment.[1]

Ecology

One specimen from Western Australia was found on a colony of the orange sponge, Clathria cf. partita (family Microcionidae) on which it presumably feeds.[1] Most other species of Rostanga also feed on sponges of the family Microcionidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.
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