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 Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Nudibranchia
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

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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

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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

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

References

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  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.