Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

of colourful, sea slugs; dorid

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to matc ...

s, marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s in the superfamily

Doridoidea Doridoidea, commonly known as dorid nudibranchs (and previously known as the taxon Cryptobranchia), are a taxonomic superfamily of medium to large, shell-less sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Doridacea, included in the clade Nu ...

. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals.” The over 360 described species are primarily found in tropical and subtropical waters, as members of coral reef communities, specifically associated with their sponge prey. The chromodorids are the most speciose family of opisthobranchs. They range in size from <10mm to over 30 cm, although most species are approximately 15–30 mm in size. Although, they have a worldwide distribution, most species are found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region. A scientific paper published in 2007, found the most widespread chromodorid genera, ('' Mexichromis'', ''

Chromodoris ''Chromodoris'' is a genus of very colourful sea slugs or dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs, and the type genus of the family Chromodorididae. Within the genus ''Chromodoris'', there are currently 101 classified species. Species within ...

'', '' Glossodoris'' and ''

Hypselodoris ''Hypselodoris'' is a genus of colourful sea slugs or dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Chromodorididae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Hypselodoris'' Stimpson, 1855.Accessed on 2018-09-16. Modern usage follows a more restricted v ...

'') to be

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

. The family Cadlinidae Bergh, 1891 has been considered a synonym of the Chromodorididae." Research by R.F. Johnson in 2011 has shown that '' Cadlina'' does not belong to the family Chromodorididae. She has therefore brought back the name

Cadlinidae Cadlinidae is a family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. Molecular phylogenetic studies and their taxon-sampling schemes can have a strong influence of the resulting phylogeny. Research by ...

from synonymy with ''Chromodorididae''. The chromodorid nudibranchs without ''Cadlina'' are now

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

and turn out to be a possible sister to the family

Actinocyclidae Actinocyclidae is a family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. This family is within the clade Euctenidiacea. Taxonomy Genera within the family Actinocyclidae include: * ''Actinocyclus'' E ...

. ''Cadlina'' and '' Aldisa'' are the only two genera currently classified in the Cadlinidae. A comprehensive phylogeny of the chromodorid nudibranchs found every one of the 14 traditional chromodorid genera were either non-monophyletic, or rendered another genus paraphyletic. Additionally, both the monotypic genera ''Verconia'' and ''Diversidoris'' are nested within clades. The authors presented a new classification of the chromodorid nudibranchs, which used molecular data to untangle evolutionary relationships and at the same time retains a historical connection to traditional systematics by using generic names attached to

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

as clade names. All Chromodorid nudibranchs feed on

sponges Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through ...

.Rudman W.B. & Bergquist, P.R., 2007. ''A review of feeding specificity in the sponge-feeding Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia: Mollusca).'' Molluscan Research 27(2): 60–88.

Genera

Genera within the family Chromodorididae include: * '' Ardeadoris'' Rudman, 1984 * '' Berlanguella'' Ortea, Bacallado & Valdés, 1992 (although this has not been properly investigated) * '' Cadlinella'' Thiele, 1931 * ''

Ceratosoma ''Ceratosoma'' is a genus of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Chromodorididae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Ceratosoma'' A. Adams & Reeve, 1850.Accessed on 2018-12-01Rudman W.B. (1984) The date and authorsh ...

'' J. E. Gray and M. E. Gray, 1850 * ''

'' Alder and Hacock, 1855 - the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...

* '' Diversidoris'' Rudman, 1987 * '' Doriprismatica'' d'Orbigny, 1839 * '' Durvilledoris'' Rudman, 1984 * '' Felimare'' Ev. Marcus & Er. Marcus, 1967 * '' Felimida'' Marcus, 1971 * '' Glossodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 * '' Goniobranchus'' Pease, 1866 * ''

'' Stimpson, 1855 * '' Mexichromis'' Bertsch, 1977 * '' Miamira'' Bergh, 1874 * '' Thorunna'' Bergh, 1878 * '' Tyrinna'' Bergh, 1898 * '' Verconia'' Pruvot-Fol, 1931 - synonym: '' Noumea'' Risbec, 1928 ; Genera brought into synonymy : * ''Actinodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 : synonym of ''

'' Alder & Hancock, 1855 * ''Babaina'' Odhner in Franc, 1968 : synonym of '' Thorunna'' Bergh, 1878 * ''Casella'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 : synonym of '' Glossodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 * ''Chromolaichma'' Bertsch, 1977 : synonym of '' Glossodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 * ''Crepidodoris'' Pagenstecher, 1877 : synonym of '' Glossodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 * ''Digidentis'' Rudman, 1984 : synonym of '' Thorunna'' * ''Jeanrisbecia'' Franc, 1968 : synonym of '' Risbecia'' Odhner, 1934 synonym of ''

'' Stimpson, 1855 * ''Lissodoris'' Odhner, 1934 : synonym of ''

'' Alder & Hancock, 1855 * ''Noumea'' (preoccupied by a beetle): synonym of '' Verconia'' * ''Orodoris'' Bergh, 1875 : synonym of ''

'' Gray, 1850 * ''Pectenodoris'' Rudman, 1984 : synonym of '' Mexichromis'' * ''Pterodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 : synonym of ''

'' Stimpson, 1855 * ''Risbecia'' Odhner, 1934 : synonym of ''

'' * ''Rosodoris'' Pruvot-Fol, 1954 : synonym of '' Glossodoris'' Ehrenberg, 1831 Image:Glossodoris cruenta 3.jpg, '' Ardeadoris cruenta'' Image:Ceratosoma tenue - Purple Edged Ceratosoma Nudibranch (2649065671).jpg, ''

Ceratosoma tenue is a species of colourful dorid nudibranch, a sea slug, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae. Distribution This sea slug is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific area, from the oriental A ...

'' Image:Chromodoris magnifa.JPG, '' Chromodoris magnifica'' Image:Nudibranch - Noumea crocea 3.jpg, '' Diversidoris crocea'' Image:Glossodoris atromarginata.jpg, '' Doriprismatica atromarginata'' Image:Nudibrankioa.jpg, '' Felimare cantabrica'' Image:Chromodoris krohni 2 (Vérany, 1846) .jpg, '' Felimida krohni'' Image:Glossodoris cincta.jpg, '' Glossodoris cincta'' Image:ChromodorisGeminus.jpg, ''

Goniobranchus geminus ''Goniobranchus geminus'', also known as the gem sea slug, is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus geminus''.Accessed through: World R ...

'' Image:Hypselodoris infucata.jpg, '' Hypselodoris confetti'' Image:Mexichromis multituberculata 1.jpg, '' Mexichromis multituberculata'' Image:Noumea norba.jpg, '' Verconia norba'' Image:Thorunna australis003.jpg, ''

Thorunna australis ''Thorunna australis'' is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Thorunna australis'' (Risbec, 1928).Accessed on 2018-12-23. Distribut ...

References

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