Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Polyceroidea Subfamily Nembrothinae Scientific name Roboastra luteolineata Rank Species | Class Gastropoda Family Polyceridae Genus Roboastra Phylum Mollusca | |
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Similar Roboastra, Roboastra gracilis, Dermatobranchus ornatus, Tambja morosa, Hypselodoris obscura | ||
Roboastra luteolineata is a species of sea slug, a polycerid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.
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Distribution
This species occurs in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. It has been observed as far north as Japan in the Northern Hemisphere and as far south as the Poor Knights Islands in New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere. This species is sometimes confused with the nudibranch Tambja affinis due to its outwardly similar appearance.
Description
Roboastra luteolineata is quite large in comparison to most other sea-slugs. It is black, with yellow lines running lengthwise down the body. It can be distinguished from other similar-looking nudibranchs by the light green patches on the top of the head between its rhinophores. It is a fast-moving species.
Ecology
Roboastra luteolineata, like other species in the genus Roboastra, feeds on other nudibranchs, actively hunting them out. The species seems to generally feed only on nudibranchs from the family Polyceridae and has been observed eating Tambja morosa, Tambja verconis and Nembrotha kubaryana. It is also cannibalistic and will eat smaller individuals of its own species.