Re: Rostanga from South Africa

November 6, 2006
From: Peter Southwood

Concerning message #18142:

A small correction on the range of Rostanga elandsia: Rooi-Els is on the eastern shore of False Bay, not beyond it.

I have seen many specimens of what is probably R. elandsia on the eastern shore of False Bay from Gordon's Bay to Rooi-Els, Many of them at a dive site we call Percy's Hole, just north of Rooi-Els. Almost always on red/orange sponges.
Cheers,
Peter Southwood

peter.southwood@telkomsa.net

Southwood, P., 2006 (Nov 6) Re: Rostanga from South Africa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18201

Thanks Peter,

My terminology "Rooi Els, beyond the eastern shore of False Bay" on the species' Fact Sheet is a direct quote from the paper in which the species was named. Although awkward, I assumed it was a pedantic way of saying that it is found off the coast of Rooi-Els. I guess the important thing is to try and indicate whether this species is one that is restricted only to South Africa, or perhaps restricted to the Atlantic coast of southern Africa, rather than a species from the Indo-West Pacific.

It would be interesting to get some photos of its egg ribbon if possible. From my work on Indo-West Pacific species, the shape of the egg mass and the size of the eggs can be a very valuable aid in identifying each species of this genus, and at this stage we haven't any information on any of the Sth African species.

  • Garovoy, J.B., Valdés, A., & Gosliner, T.M. (2001) Phylogeny of the genus Rostanga (Nudibranchia), with descriptions of three new species from South Africa. Journal of Molluscan Studies 67: 131-144.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2006 (Nov 6). Comment on Re: Rostanga from South Africa by Peter Southwood. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/18201

Factsheet

Rostanga elandsia

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