Goniobranchus leopardus, is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.[2][3]
| Goniobranchus leopardus | |
|---|---|
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| The nudibranch Goniobranchus leopardus, facing the camera. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Nudibranchia |
| Family: | Chromodorididae |
| Genus: | Goniobranchus |
| Species: | G. leopardus
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| Binomial name | |
| Goniobranchus leopardus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Distribution
editThis species has been reported from NW Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands.[4][5]
Description
editGoniobranchus leopardus can reach a maximum size of 6 cm length.[4] The body is elongate with a foot which is distinct from the upper body by a large skirt-like mantle hiding the foot.[6] The top of the mantle is brownish with dark spots circled with white. The margin of the mantle is white with at the external border a fine purple to electric blue line.[7] The rhinophores are lamellate and contractile, the base is white topped with blue to purple but they can also be white with a longitudinal blue to purple line. The branched gill has a whitish external side, the internal surface is golden.[8][9][10][11]
References
edit- ^ Rudman W.B. (1987) The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris epicuria, C. aureopurpurea, C. annulata, C. coi and Risbecia tryoni colour groups. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 90: 305–407. page(s): 358
- ^ a b Gofas, S. (2015). Goniobranchus leopardus (Rudman, 1987). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-11-17
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Rudman, W.B., 1999 (January 22) Chromodoris leopardus Rudman, 1987. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
- ^ Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A., 1998. Mollusca – The southern synthesis, vol.5, CSIRO, ISBN 0-643-05756-0
- ^ Debelius, H. & Kuiter, R.H. (2007) Nudibranchs of the world. ConchBooks, Frankfurt, 360 pp. ISBN 978-3-939767-06-0 page(s): 141
- ^ Gosliner, T.M., Behrens, D.W. & Valdés, Á. (2008) Indo-Pacific Nudibranchs and seaslugs. A field guide to the world's most diverse fauna. Sea Challengers Natural History Books, Washington, 426 pp. page(s): 217
- ^ Warren, Lindsay , Corolla, Jean-Pierre , Sittler, Alain-Pierre, (2014) Chromodoris leopardus Rudman, 1987 in : DORIS, January 3, 2014
- ^ Debelius, Helmut, 2001, Nudibranchs and Sea Snails: Indo-Pacific Field Guide, IKAN – Unterwasserarchiv, Frankfurt, Germany.
- ^ David Behrens, Nudibranch behaviour, Newworld Publications INC., 2005, ISBN 978-1878348418
- ^ Gary Cobb & Richard Willan, Undersea jewels – a colour guide to nudibranchs, Australian Biological Resources Study, 2006, ISBN 0642568472
External links
edit- Photos of Goniobranchus leopardus on Sealife Collection
