Roboastra tentaculata
{{Short description|Species of gastropod}}
{{Speciesbox
| image =
| image_caption =
| genus = Roboastra
| species = tentaculata
| authority = (Pola, Cervera & Gosliner, 2005)Pola M., Cervera J.L. & Gosliner T.M., 2005. Four new species of Tambja Burn, 1962 (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae) from the Indo-Pacific. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 71(3): 257-267 .
| synonyms = {{species list
| Tambja tentaculata| Pola, Cervera & Gosliner, 2005
}}
}}
Roboastra tentaculata is a species of sea slug, a polycerid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Polyceridae.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). [http://www.molluscabase.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=816917 MolluscaBase. Roboastra tentaculata (Pola, Cervera & Gosliner, 2005).] Accessed on 2021-01-25.
Distribution
This species was described from Guam.
Etymology
Tentaculata is used to describe Roboastra tentaculata due to the presence of oral tentacles.{{Cite journal|last1=Pola|first1=Marta|last2=Cervera|first2=J. Lucas|last3=Gosliner|first3=Terrence M.|title=Four New Species of Tambja Burn, 1962 (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae) from the Indo-Pacific |date=2005-08-01|url=http://academic.oup.com/mollus/article/71/3/257/1022778/FOUR-NEW-SPECIES-OF-TAMBJA-BURN-1962-NUDIBRANCHIA|journal=Journal of Molluscan Studies|language=en|volume=71|issue=3|pages=257–267|doi=10.1093/mollus/eyi034|issn=1464-3766|doi-access=free}} Oral tentacles allow sea slugs to move and obtain information from the environment.{{Cite web|last=Rudman|first=W.B.|date=March 26, 1999|title=The Nudibranch Head|url=http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/headeudo|access-date=May 3, 2021|website=Sea Slug Forum}}
Phylogeny
In order for phylogenetic integrity, Roboastra tentaculata was moved into Roboastra from the genus Tambja.{{Cite journal|last1=Pola|first1=Marta|last2=Cervera|first2=J|last3=Gosliner|first3=Terrence|date=2008|title=Description of the First Roboastra Species (Nudibranchia, Polyceridae, Nembrothinae) From The Western Atlantic|journal=Bulletin of Marine Science|volume=83|pages=391–399|via=ResearchGate}}{{Cite journal|last1=Pola|first1=Marta|last2=Padula|first2=Vinicius|last3=Gosliner|first3=Terrence M.|last4=Cervera|first4=Juan Lucas|date=December 2014|title=Going further on an intricate and challenging group of nudibranchs: description of five novel species and a more complete molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Nembrothinae (Polyceridae)|journal=Cladistics|language=en|volume=30|issue=6|pages=607–634|doi=10.1111/cla.12097|pmid=34781594 |s2cid=85156960 |doi-access=free}}
Morphology
The bulk of the sea slug body is green, along with bright yellow or orange stripes outlined with brown.{{Cite web|title=Selection: Roboastra tentaculata|url=https://www.philippine-sea-slugs.com/Nudibranchia/Doridina/Roboastra_tentaculata.htm|access-date=2021-04-09|website=www.philippine-sea-slugs.com}} Two green rhinophores with lamellae and rhinophoral cases are noticeable. This sea slug has green gills of two different sizes. Bright green oral tentacles are also found on the back of the organism, opposite of a straight green foot located on the bottom. Also present is a radula with smooth and large teeth. The digestive system is composed of salivary glands, an esophagus and an oral tube. R. tentaculata also have three reproductive duct structures; a hermaphroditic, vaginal and uterine duct. The first duct is hermaphroditic with an ampulla, vas deferens and a spiked penis. The second tract is composed of a small vaginal tube and a bursa copulatrix. The third duct contains a uterine tube and one oviduct.