MORPHOLOGY
Body oval, elongate, completely covered with numerous caryophyllidia. Branchial and rhinophoral sheaths low, simple, circular; gill composed of seven wide, tripinnate branchial leaves, extended laterally, lying on the dorsum in the living animal. A low, irregular, inconspicuous ridge runs between the rhinophores and the gill, not clearly visible in all specimens. Rhinophores very elongate, almost conical, lamellated, with 15 or 16 lamellae. Body color pinkish to orange, with irregular darker patches all over the dorsum. Rhinophores reddish; branchial leaves the same color as the dorsum.
ETYMOLOGY
This species is named after Marina Poddubetskaia, indefatigable collector and diver, who first discovered the animals here described during the two of the Koumac expeditions.
References
- Platydoris sp. 3, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
- Rostanga poddubetskaiae sp. nov., Innabi, J., Stout, C. C. & Valdés, Á. (2023). Seven new “cryptic” species of Discodorididae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) from New Caledonia. ZooKeys. 1152: 45-95., available online at https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1152.98258
Mutsumi Fujioka
