Trapania japonica (Baba, 1935)

Description

A small Goniodorididae of the genus Trapania, with white ground colour and dark-brown markings scattered over the body surface. The four lateral processes flanking the rhinophores and gills (extra-rhinophoral and extra-branchial processes) are characteristic of the genus and are bright yellow throughout in this species.

Distribution

Type locality: Mutsu Bay, Aomori, Japan. Later records extend across the northwestern Pacific.

Etymology

The specific epithet japonica refers to Japan as the country of origin.

Remarks

Originally described as Drepania japonica; the genus Drepania was later replaced by Trapania due to homonymy with a bird-genus name.

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References

• ツガルウミウシ, Baba, K. 1990. Notes on the rare genera Trapania and Ancula from Japan with the description of a new species (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae). Venus 49(1):8-18.
• ツガルウミウシ, 中野理枝. (2004). 本州のウミウシ. ラトルズ.
• Smirnoff D.S., Donohoo S.A. & Gosliner T.M. (2022). Extra-branchial processes manifest extra diversity: systematics of the genus Trapania (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) and nine new species descriptions. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 196(1): 270-313. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac009
• Paz-Sedano S., Moles J., Smirnoff D., Gosliner T.M. & Pola M. (2024). A combined phylogenetic strategy illuminates the evolution of Goniodorididae nudibranchs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 192: 107990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107990
• PAZ-SEDANO S., COBB G., GOSLINER T.M. & POLA M. (2024). Filling gaps in the knowledge of Goniodorididae taxa (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) with description of seven new species. Zootaxa. 5443(4): 523-547. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5443.4.3