Atagema rugosa, the rugby-ball dorid, is a species of dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Discodorididae.
| Atagema rugosa | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Family: | Discodorididae |
| Genus: | Atagema |
| Species: | A. rugosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Atagema rugosa Pruvot-Fol, 1951[1]
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Distribution
editThis species was described from Cap l'Abeille, near Banyuls-sur-Mer, France. It has been reported from the bay of Gallipoli, Italy,[2] in the Mediterranean Sea and around the southern African coast on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula in 10–15 m of water.[3] It is probable that the species known by this name in South Africa is actually a distinct species.
Description
editAtagema rugosa is described as a beige animal, darker in the lower parts of the mantle. Its tubercles are arranged in crests forming a network. It has five gills, with the three posterior held almost horizontal and the two anterior very small.[1] The South African rugby-ball dorid is a small white nudibranch with black spots, a warty skin and a distinct longitudinal ridge down the middle of its back. It has eight gills arranged around the anus and its rhinophores are perfoliate. It can reach a total length of 30 mm.[4]
Ecology
editThe rugby-ball dorid feeds on sponges.
References
edit- ^ a b Pruvot-Fol A. (1951). Etudes des nudibranches de la Méditerranée 2. Archives de Zoologie Expérimentale et Générale 88: 1-80
- ^ Perrone, A. S. 1983. Descrizione de un raro nudibranco mediterraneo: Atagema rugosa (Pruvot-Fol, 1951). Bollettino Malacologico (Pubblicazione Mensile Edita dalla Societa Italiana di Malacologia) 19(1-4):49-56.
- ^ Gosliner, T.M. 1987. Nudibranchs of Southern Africa ISBN 0-930118-13-8
- ^ Zsilavecz, G. 2007. Nudibranchs of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay. ISBN 0-620-38054-3