Goniodoris castanea

Goniodoris castanea
	Aranmore, Aran Islands, Co Galway, Ireland.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Nudibranchia
Superfamily:	Onchidoridoidea
Family:	Goniodorididae
Genus:	Goniodoris
Species:	G. castanea
Binomial name
	Goniodoris castanea; Alder & A. Hancock, 1845
Synonyms
	Doris pareti Vérany, 1846 ;

Goniodoris castanea is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Goniodorididae.^[3]

Plate from *A monograph of the British nudibranchiate Mollusca* illustrating *Goniodoris castanea*

Distribution

This species was first described from Salcombe Estuary, Devon. It has subsequently been reported widely in Britain and Ireland and from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea.^[4]^[5]

Description

This goniodorid nudibranch is variable in colour, usually red-brown or dark purple but also bright red. Most individuals have scattered irregular small patches of white or grey all over the body.^[6]

Its body length is usually 15 mm.^[7] The maximum recorded body length is 38 mm.^[7]

Ecology

Goniodoris castanea feeds on tunicates of the genera Botryllus and Botrylloides, family Botryllidae.

References

^ Alder, J. & Hancock, A., 1845. Notice of a new genus and several new species of nudibranchiate Mollusca. Annals & Magazine of Natural History, 16: 311-316.
^ Vérany G. B., 1846: Catalogo degli animali invertebrati marini del Golfo di Genova e Nizza; Tipografia Ferrando, Genova 1-30
^ Gofas, S. (2015). Goniodoris castanea Alder & Hancock, 1845. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 20 October 2015
^ Thompson, T.E. and Brown, G.H., 1984. Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Volume II. The Ray Society. 229 pages 41 plates, 40 figures, p. 125.
^ Trainito, E. & Doneddu, M., 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. 2nd Edition. Il Castello. ISBN 9788865204801, 192 pages.
^ Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2015). Goniodoris castanea Alder & Hancock, 1845. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. Accessed on 2015-10-20
^ ^a ^b Giannuzzi-Savelli, Riccardo; Chemello, Renato; Cattaneo-Vietti, Riccardo (1991). Atlas of Mediterranean nudibranchs. Atlante dei nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. Roma: Editrice La Conchiglia.

External links

Photos of Goniodoris castanea on Sealife Collection

[A&H-1] Alder, J. & Hancock, A., 1845. Notice of a new genus and several new species of nudibranchiate Mollusca. Annals & Magazine of Natural History, 16: 311-316.

[2] Vérany G. B., 1846: Catalogo degli animali invertebrati marini del Golfo di Genova e Nizza; Tipografia Ferrando, Genova 1-30

[3] Gofas, S. (2015). Goniodoris castanea Alder & Hancock, 1845. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 20 October 2015

[thompson-4] Thompson, T.E. and Brown, G.H., 1984. Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Volume II. The Ray Society. 229 pages 41 plates, 40 figures, p. 125.

[TrainitoDoneddu-5] Trainito, E. & Doneddu, M., 2014. Nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. 2nd Edition. Il Castello. ISBN 9788865204801, 192 pages.

[6] Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2015). Goniodoris castanea Alder & Hancock, 1845. [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. Accessed on 2015-10-20

[Giannuzzi-Savelli_1991-7] Giannuzzi-Savelli, Riccardo; Chemello, Renato; Cattaneo-Vietti, Riccardo (1991). Atlas of Mediterranean nudibranchs. Atlante dei nudibranchi del Mediterraneo. Roma: Editrice La Conchiglia.

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