Rostanga pulchra from Vancouver Island

March 22, 2006
From: Minette Layne

I thought you might enjoy seeing this picture of four Rostanga pulchra nudibranchs that appear to be eating some sponge.

The slugs were in the intertidal zone, inside a small sea cave and I've found them in approximately the same spot for the past four years (different specimens, I can only assume).

Locality: Point-No-Point, near Sooke, on Vancouver Island, Intertidal, British Columbia, Canada, Strait of Juan de Fuca, 24 June 2005, Intertidal, on sponge on a rock ledge. Length: 1 to 1 1/2 centimeters. Photographer: Minette Layne.

Minette Layne

minette_layne@hotmail.com

Layne, M., 2006 (Mar 22) Rostanga pulchra from Vancouver Island. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16094

Dear Minette,

Yes - I believe these shiny little red blobs are Rostanga pulchra.  You photo is nearly identical to the intertidal shot in Andy Lamb's new book.

This species must secrete a slime to keep it from drying out at low tide.  When I first looked at your photo I thought it might be the Broadbase Tunicate, Cnemidocarpa finmarkiensis, that also occurs in this region.  It is also shown in Lamb & Hanby (2005).

  • Lamb, A. & B.P. Hanby.  2005.  Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest.  Harbour Publishing.

Best wishes,
Dave Behrens

Behrens, D.W., 2006 (Mar 22). Comment on Rostanga pulchra from Vancouver Island by Minette Layne. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/16094

Factsheet

Rostanga pulchra

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