''Goniobranchus reticulatus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of colourful

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary t ...

or dorid nudibranch, a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

in the

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 ...

Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)
''Goniobranchus reticulatus''.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05-07

Distribution

This species was described from

Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...

. It has been widely reported from the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, but many of these records are now believed to be of distinct species.

Description

The original description of this species, in French, translates as follows.

Very small species, twelve to fifteen lines in length, oval, with low back, and the foot of which exceeds the mantle. The entire upper part of the body is reticulated in reddish brown with lacquer spots, while the lower part is a beautiful white; the foot alone has its edge coloured yellow. The slightly pointed labial appendages are also of this colour. The tentacles are streaked and yellowish; a groove joins the two cavities which receives them. The contour of the gill cavity forms a fairly high projection at the end of the mantle. The leaflets are twelve or thirteen divisions, lanceolate, in the shape of petals. Their colour is yellow.

There is considerable disagreement amongst experts over the identity of ''Goniobranchus reticulatus''. The original description shows an animal with a white mantle, a red, reticulate pattern and a narrow white margin. The edge of the foot is yellow and the labial tentacles are tipped with yellow. There are no round spots in the margin or amongst the reticulate pattern. The length of the body is reported to reach 100 mm but the original description is of an animal 12-15

ligne The ''ligne'' ( ), or line or Paris line, is a historic unit of length used in France and elsewhere prior to the adoption of the metric system in the late 18th century, and used in various sciences after that time. The ''loi du 19 frimaire an V ...

(27-34 mm) in length. A number of similar species are known to occur within the ''

Goniobranchus tinctorius ''Goniobranchus tinctorius'' is a species of colorful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus tinctorius''.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 201 ...

'' colour group. The complex consists of at least 7 species and the true ''G. reticulatus'' is probably not the one normally being identified with this name. The species is hermaphroditic, with both male and female organs active at the same time. After mating, the external portion of the penis detaches, but is able to regrow within 24 hours.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4671435 Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1832