Goniobranchus sinensis (Rudman, 1985)
Description
Mantle translucent white with a bright red marginal line and a bright yellow submarginal band running just inside it. Inside the yellow band is a row of opaque-white spots formed by the underlying mantle glands. Rhinophore stalks transparent, often speckled (sometimes heavily) with red; rhinophore clubs red. Gills translucent whitish, with the outer and inner edges and many of the lamellae edged in red. Underside of the mantle, sides of the body, and foot are white. About one-third of specimens have fine orange-brown specks on the mantle between the gills and the rhinophores. Body length 5-15 mm preserved.Distribution
Type locality is Fan Tsang Chan, Hong Kong (10 m depth, August 1983). Originally recorded in 1985 from many Hong Kong localities (intertidal to 13 m depth), with 40 specimens taken in 1982-1983. Material previously misidentified as Glossodoris/Chromodoris marginata from Japan (Baba, 1938; Abe, 1964) and China (Guang-Yu & Tchang-Si, 1965; Orr, 1981) belongs here. Subsequent records extend to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.Etymology
The specific epithet sinensis is Latin for Chinese, referring to the type locality (Hong Kong) and to the long history of records from China and Japan that had been misidentified as Chromodoris marginata. No separate etymology paragraph appears in the original description.Remarks
Originally described as Chromodoris sinensis and later transferred to Goniobranchus. Distinguished from Goniobranchus verrieri by (1) a translucent (not pigmented white) mantle, (2) red-edged (not white-edged) rhinophores and gills, and (3) a submarginal (not marginal) red band, with a distinct marginal band of translucent white. The relationship with Goniobranchus preciosus and Goniobranchus trimarginatus remains unresolved without examination of topotypic material.References
- 高岡生物研究会. (2002). 日本海のウミウシ. 第2版.
- シラヒメウミウシ, 中野理枝. (2004). 本州のウミウシ. ラトルズ.
- Goniobranchus sinensis, Johnson R.F. & Gosliner T.M. (2012). Traditional taxonomic groupings mask evolutionary history: a molecular phylogeny and new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33479.
- Goniobranchus sinensis, Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2015). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific. New World Pubns Inc.
- Goniobranchus sinensis, Soong G.Y., Bonomo L.J., Reimer J.D. & Gosliner T.M. (2022). Battle of the bands: systematics and phylogeny of the white Goniobranchus nudibranchs with marginal bands (Nudibranchia, Chromodorididae). ZooKeys. 1083: 169-210. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1083.72939
Featured in this book
Terrence Gosliner, Ángel Valdés and David Behrens. (2018). Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification Indo-Pacific 2nd Edition. New World Pubns Inc.
New World Publications
This species, Goniobranchus sinensis, is included in the book.
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Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.