Rostanga crawfordi
Rostanga crawfordi is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae. Originally described as Discodoris crawfordi, it was redescribed by Rudman & Avern as Rostanga australis. The two names were synonymised by Dayrat.[3]
| Rostanga crawfordi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Suborder: | Doridina |
| Superfamily: | Doridoidea |
| Family: | Discodorididae |
| Genus: | Rostanga |
| Species: | R. crawfordi |
| Binomial name | |
| Rostanga crawfordi (Burn, 1969)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Distribution
This species was described from Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia. It is known only from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, Australia.[3]
Description
This dorid nudibranch is pale orange-yellow to orange-pink in colour; the dorsum is covered with caryophyllidia.[2][4]
Ecology
Rostanga crawfordi is found on the red sponge, Psammoclema, on which it presumably feeds.[2] This sponge genus is currently classified in the family Chondropsidae. Most other species of Rostanga feed on sponges of the family Microcionidae.
References
- Burn, R.F. (1969) A memorial report on the Tom Crawford collection of Victorian Opisthobranchia. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 12: 64-106. (pl.4)
- 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.
- Dayrat B. 2010. A monographic revision of discodorid sea slugs (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia, Doridina). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, vol. 61, suppl. I, 1-403, 382 figs.
- Rudman, W.B., 2002 (February 4) Rostanga australis Rudman & Avern, 1989. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.