''Goniobranchus tinctorius'' 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 colorful
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 time ...
, a 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 match, ...
, a
marine gastropod 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
Chromodorididae
Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a taxonomic family of colourful, sea slugs; dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals. ...
.
[Bouchet, P. (2012)]
''Goniobranchus tinctorius''.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05-07
Distribution
This species was described from the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...
. It also occurs in
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
. It has been reported widely in the tropical Indo-West Pacific but many of the records refer to ''
Goniobranchus reticulatus
''Goniobranchus reticulatus'' is a species of colourful sea slug or dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus reticulatus''.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species o ...
'', ''
Goniobranchus alderi'' and similarly coloured, undescribed, species. Several of these have been shown to be distinct species by a DNA study.
Description
''Goniobranchus tinctorius'' has a white mantle with an open reticulation of fine red lines. Towards the margin these lines coalesce into red spots and outside this region are isolated red spots and blotches. There is a broad white band followed by a narrow yellow band at the edge of the mantle. The gills are white with two red lines on the outer surface which converge at the tip. The
rhinophore
A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea ha ...
s have white shafts and red clubs with white edges to the lamellae. The length of the body can vary between 15 mm and 95 mm.
[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): 221]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1115245
Chromodorididae
Gastropods described in 1828