Aporodoris

''Aporodoris'' is a genus of sea slugs, dorid nudibranch, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs in the family Discorididae.MolluscaBase (2018)
''Aporodoris'' Ihering, 1886.
Accessed on 2019-02-02.

Taxonomic status

Valdés & Gosliner (2001 synonymised ''Aporodoris'' with ''Taringa'', invoking ICZN Art. 23.9 to designate ''Aporodoris'' a ''nomen oblitum'' and ''Taringa'' Er. Marcus, 1955 a '' nomen protectum''.

Dayrat, 2010
Dayrat B. 2010. A monographic revision of discodorid sea slugs (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia, Doridina). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, vol. 61, suppl. I, 1-403, 382 figs.
made the following argument for reinstatement of ''Aporodoris'':

SUPRA-SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIPS. Here, two questions are discussed: 1) the generic affinities proposed for ''millegrana'', and 2) the valid name of the clade it belongs to, knowing that ''millegrana'' is the type species of the genus name ''Aporodoris'' von lhering 1886, by original designation. Bergh (1878a) re-allocated ''millegrana'' to ''Archidoris'' and then (Bergh 1894) to ''Thordisa'' with no explanation. Von lhering (1886) created a new generic name for ''millegrana'', ''Aporodoris''. The genus name ''Aporodoris'' was then used to describe several new species: ''Aporodoris rubra'' Bergh, 1905; ''Aporodoris risbeci'' Marcus and Marcus, 1967; and ''Aporodoris merria'' Burn, 1973. Thompson and Brown (1981) decided to re-allocate ''millegrana'' to ''Discodoris'' (Thompson classified all basal discodorids in ''Discodoris''). Then, more recently, Valdes and Gosliner (2001) rightly argued that ''Aporodoris'' von lhering, 1886, and ''Taringa'' Marcus, 1955, are two synonyms, and that ''millegrana'' belongs to ''Taringa'' species (as shown in the present phylogenetic analysis).

The next question is: Which name should we use for that clade, ''Taringa'' or ''Aporodoris''? The older name, ''Aporodoris'', should have priority over the younger name, ''Taringa''. Valdes and Gosliner (2001) argued that in this case, however, the ICZN Article 23.9 (not 23.9.2) applies and that the younger name should be regarded as valid. However, Article 23.9 actually does not apply here. According to Article 23.9, prevailing usage can be maintained only if two conditions are met (described in 23.9.1), one of which (23.9.1.1) is that the senior synonym must not have been used as a valid name after 1899. Although Valdes and Gosliner (2001) thought that ''Aporodoris'' had not been used as a valid name since 1899, three new species names were created in ''Aporodoris'' since 1899 (see above), and several authors used the binomial ''Aporodoris millegrana'' as valid (Eliot 1910b; Pruvot-Fol 1954a; Bouchet and Tardy 1976). Therefore ''Aporodoris'' is a valid name, regardless of whether ''Taringa'' has been widely used or not.

In addition, but not noted by Dayrat, the combination ''Aporodoris millegrana'' was treated as the valid combination for this species between 1910 (Eliot, 1910b) and 1981 (Thompson and Brown, 1981) in listings of the British molluscan fauna (Winckworth, 1932; White, 1937; Turk, 1973 Turk S.M., 1973. Concordance to the field card for British Marine Mollusca. Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, pp.66.)

However, according t
Article 23.10
of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1999), this action stands and ''Taringa'' should be used as the valid name until such time as the Commission rules otherwise.

Description

This genus is characterized by the presence of a membranaceous penial cuticle.

''Taringa'' is placed in the family Discodorididae.

Species

Species in the genus ''Aporodoris'' includes:
* '' Aporodoris merria'' Burn, 1973
* ''Aporodoris millegrana'' (Alder & Hancock, 1854)
;Species brought into synonymy:
* ''Apodoris fanabensis'' Ortea & Martinez, 1992 : synonym of ''Aporodoris millegrana'' (Alder & Hancock, 1854)

References

External links

*

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2157779

Dorididae