About Asteronotus cespitosus (van Hasselt, 1824)
Asteronotus cespitosus (van Hasselt, 1824) is a species of nudibranch. The body of this nudibranch can grow up to 250 mm in length. It has a distinct appearance: ridges of large tubercles run down the center of its body, and an additional series of tubercles runs parallel to the body margin. Its body texture is firm and leathery. Body color ranges from blackish grey to brown, with paler tubercles and white patches; this patterning gives the species effective camouflage for its preferred habitat. In contrast to the body's coloration, the species' egg ribbon is pink. This is a widespread marine species found across the Indo-West Pacific. Its recorded distribution includes the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean coasts of Tanzania, Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius, and extends east through Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and Australia, reaching as far out into the Pacific Ocean as Hawaii and Japan. Asteronotus cespitosus feeds on sponges.
