Neptunazurea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Neptunazurea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Neptunazurea kempfi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Family: | Chromodorididae |
| Genus: | Neptunazurea Ribeiro, García-Méndez, Valdés, Schrödl & Padula, 2025[1] |
| Type species | |
| Neptunazurea kempfi Ev. Marcus, 1971 | |
Neptunazurea is a genus of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the in family Chromodorididae[2].
Neptunazurea was established after analysis of several small blue species previously placed in Felimare. There had never been a clear set of diagnostics for Felimare, as the genus was re-established as a result of molecular phylogenetic analysis only; morphological features were not taken into account. The species then included in Felimare (placed previously in Hypselodoris and Mexichromis) shared neither external and internal anatomies nor reproductive morphologies[1].
In Ribeiro et al. (2025)[1], a study was done re-investigating Felimare with special focus on the blue, smaller species of the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Both molecular and morphological analyses performed, and a distinct, consistent set of diagnostic material was able to be established. Thus, Neptunazurea was proposed as a new genus within Chromodorididae.
