Goniobranchus geminus
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Goniobranchus geminus, also known as the gem sea slug,[3] is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.[2]
| Goniobranchus geminus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Family: | Chromodorididae |
| Genus: | Goniobranchus |
| Species: | G. geminus |
| Binomial name | |
| Goniobranchus geminus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Taxonomic history
Until 2012 this species was known as Chromodoris geminus but was moved to the genus Goniobranchus as a result of a molecular (DNA) study.[4]
Description
Goniobranchus geminus can reach a maximum size of 5 cm in length.[5] It has four distinctive coloured lines around the mantle edge. Starting from a thin white outer line, then a light grayish line, followed by another white line and finally a bright golden yellow line.[6] The background coloration from the back is light brown to yellowish speckled with mauve ocelli circled with a white margin. The foot, clearer and with a white margin, also has ocelli. The rhinophores are yellow or purple and laminated, gills are white outlined with beige.[7]
Distribution and habitat
This sea slug lives in the Indian Ocean from Kenya to Sri Lanka and in the Red Sea and has a predilection for the external slopes of coral reefs.[5]
Similar species
- Goniobranchus kuniei (Pruvot-Fol, 1930).
- Goniobranchus leopardus (Rudman, 1987).
- Hypselodoris tryoni (Garrett, 1873).
- Goniobranchus tritos (Yonow, 1994).