Rhodope is a genus of small meiofaunal sea slugs, shell-less vermiform gastropod mollusks in the family Rhodopidae. Their worm-like body structure differs considerably from typical gastropods, to the point of being mistaken for flatworms in the past.
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Feeding habits
Rhodopids are the only known predators of placozoans, which make up the primary component of their diet. Some species of Rhodope, such as Rhodope placozophagus, can subsist entirely on a diet of placozoans, and are apparently immune to their toxins.
Species
Species in the genus Rhodope include:
Rhodope crucispiculata Salvini-Plawen, 1991
Rhodope marcusi Salvini-Plawen, 1991
Rhodope placozophagus Cuervo-González, 2017
Rhodope roskoi Haszprunar & Hess, 2005
Rhodope rousei Brenzinger, N. G. Wilson & Schrödl, 2011
Rhodope salviniplaweni Fernández-Simón & Moles, 2025
Rhodope transtrosa Salvini-Plawen, 1991
Rhodope veranii Koelliker, 1847