Rostanga bifurcata from Coffs Harbour

February 8, 2002
From: Bill Rudman

To show a bit more variation in Rostanga bifurcata here are a couple more animals from northern New South Wales, Australia. The egg ribbon is only a poor attempt in a glass dish after collecton but it shows the size of the eggs and the wavy and crenulate edge of the egg ribbon which is characteristic of this species [see photo of full egg ribbon]. Both animals are photographed on the sponges they were found on and both have a remarkable resemblance to these sponges in colour and texture. In this species, like most species of Rostanga, individual animals show a close resemblance to their food sponge. This means that colour can vary within a species quite considerably if the sponge they feed on is itself variable in colour, or if the species feeds on a number of species of sponge.

UPPER RIGHT: Pig Island, Coffs Harbour, NSW. Dec 1990, 20-22m. 11mm long alive. AM C164619
LOWER PHOTOS: Split Solitary Id, Coffs Harbour, NSW. December 1990. egg ribbon and animals. AM C164564 18, 22mm long alive. PHOTOS: Bill Rudman.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Feb 8) Rostanga bifurcata from Coffs Harbour. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/6181

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