Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5710 No. 1: 15 Oct. 2025
Type: Monograph
Published: 2025-10-15
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5710.1.1
Page range: 1-73
Abstract views: 157
PDF downloaded: 4

The genus Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia) in New Caledonia, with descriptions of eleven new species

Department of Biological Sciences; California State Polytechnic University; Pomona; 3801 W Temple Ave; Pomona; California 91768; USA
Department of Biological Sciences; California State Polytechnic University; Pomona; 3801 W Temple Ave; Pomona; California 91768; USA
Mollusca Phylogenetic systematics taxonomy sea slugs Indo-Pacific

Abstract

The genus Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 in New Caledonia is studied based on three molecular markers: COI, 16S, and Histone H3, obtained from 183 newly collected specimens. Species were characterized using species delimitation (COI gene) and phylogenetic analyses using all three genes. The data were compared with sequences obtained from GenBank. Most species recovered were found to belong to previously described species, or undescribed species previously reported in the literature. However, 11 species were found to be distinct and those are formally described herein. For these new species, full anatomical descriptions are provided, including reproductive system and radula illustrations and comparisons to other species are provided. An effort was made to try to identify species previously described from New Caledonia with uncertain status with the newly collected material, this resulted in the re-description of Gymnodoris suggens (Risbec, 1928) and the tentative synonymies of Gymnodoris kouaouae (Risbec, 1928) and Gymnodoris perlucens (Risbec, 1928). The phylogenetic hypotheses generated provide no support for the various genus-level names currently synonymized with Gymnodoris.

 

References

  1. Abraham, P.S. (1876) Notes on some genera of nudibranchiate Mollusca, with notices of a new genus and some hitherto undescribed species, in the collection of the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 4, 18, 132–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222937608682022
  2. Alder, J. & Hancock, A. (1864) Notice of a collection of nudibranchiate Mollusca made in India by Walter Elliot Esq. with descriptions of several new genera and species. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 5, 113–147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1864.tb00643.x
  3. Baba, K. (1936) Opisthobranchia of the Ryukyu (Okinawa) Islands. Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Kyūshū Imperial University, 5, 1–49. https://doi.org/10.5109/22580
  4. Baba, K. (1937) Opisthobranchia of Japan (II). Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Kyūshū Imperial University, 5, 289–344. https://doi.org/10.5109/22586
  5. Baba, K. (1949) Opisthobranchia of Sagami Bay collected by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo, 194 pp., 50 pls.
  6. Baba, K. (1960) The genera Gymnodoris and Nembrotha from Japan (Nudibranchia-Polyceridae). Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, VIII (1), Article 7, 71–75. https://doi.org/10.5134/174700
  7. Baba, K. (1996) Taxonomical change for Gymnodoris striata of Baba, 1937 (Nudibranchia: Gymnodorididae) from Amakusa, with a redescription based on some additional specimens from Toyama Bay, Japan. Venus, 55, 91–95.
  8. Bergh, L.S.R. (1877) Malacologische Untersuchungen. In: Semper, C. (Ed.), Reisen im Archipel der Philippinen. Theil 2. Heft 12. Kreidel, Wiesbaden, pp. 495–546, pls. 58–56.
  9. Bergh, L.S.R. (1880) Beiträge zur Kenntniss japonischen Nudibranchien. 1. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 30, 155–200.
  10. Bergh, R. (1905) Die Opisthobranchiata der Siboga-Expedition. Vol. 24. Brill, Leiden, iii + 248 pp., 20 pls. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.11223
  11. Boutet, M., Gourguet, R. & Letourneux, J. (2020) Mollusques Marins de Polynésie française. Editions Pacifique Au Vent des Îles, Papeete, Tahiti, 766 pp.
  12. Darriba, D., Taboada, G.L., Doallo, R. & Posada, D. (2012) jModelTest 2: More models, new heuristics and parallel computing. Nature Methods, 9, 772. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2109
  13. De Souza-Canal, J., Nakano, R. & Valdés, A. (2025) Gymnodoris nigricolor Baba, 1960 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae) is a species complex. Zoosystema, 47, 315–326. https://doi.org/10.5252/zoosystema2025v47a17
  14. Eliot, C.N.E. (1904) On some nudibranchs from east Africa and Zanzibar, part V. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 2, 83–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1904.tb08314.x
  15. Eliot, C.N.E. (1908) Reports on the Marine Biology of the Sudanese Red Sea - X1. Notes on a collection of Nudibranchs from the Red Sea. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology, 31, 86–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1908.tb00457.x
  16. Gosliner, T.M., Valdés, A. & Behrens, D.W. (2018) Nudibranch and Sea Slug Identification—Indo-Pacific, Second Edition. New World Publications, Jacksonville, Florida, 451 pp.
  17. Gould, A.A. (1852) Mollusca and shells. United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 under the command of Charles Wilkes. Vol. 12. Gould & Lincoln, Boston, Massachusetts, pp. 1–510, atlas (1856), pp. 1–16.
  18. Hamatani, I. & Osumi, D. (2004 [“2003”]) A new gill-less species of Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia) from Kagoshima Bay, southern Japan. Venus, 62 (3–4), 125–128.
  19. Hervé, J.F. (2010) Guide des Nudibranches de Nouvelle-Caledonie et Autres Opisthobranches. Ledru, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 404 pp.
  20. Kelaart, E.F. (1858a) Description of a new Ceylonese nudibranch. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 1, 257–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222935808696910
  21. Kelaart, E.F. (1858b) Description of new and little known species of Ceylon nudibranchiate molluscs, and zoophytes. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 3, 84–139.
  22. Kil, H.J., Jung, D.W., Nam, E., Kim, H. & Valdés, A. (2020) Sea slugs of Korea. National Institute of Biological Resources Press, Incheon, 313 pp.
  23. Knutson, V. & Gosliner, T.M. (2014) Three new species of Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 (Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia) from the Philippines. In: Williams, G.C. & Gosliner, T.M. (Eds.), The Coral Triangle: The 2011 Hearst Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, pp. 129–143. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.154474
  24. Knutson, V.L. & Gosliner, T.M. (2022) The first phylogenetic and species delimitation study of the nudibranch genus Gymnodoris reveals high species diversity (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 171, 107470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107470
  25. Koh, D.B. (2006) Sea slugs of Korea. Pungdeung Publishing, Seoul, 250 pp. [in Korean]
  26. Macnae, W. (1957) The families Polyceridae and Goniodorididae (Mollusca, Nudibranchiata) in southern Africa. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, 35, 341–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/00359195809519020
  27. Martynov, A.V. & Korshunova, T.A. (2012) Opisthobranch molluscs of Vietnam (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). In: Britayev, T.A. & Pavlov, D.S. (Eds.), Benthic fauna of the Bay of Nhatrang, Southern Vietnam. Vol. 2. KMK Scientific Presokinas Ltd, Moscow, pp. 142–257.
  28. Nakano, R. (2018) Field Guide to Sea Slugs and Nudibranchs of Japan. Bun-ichi Sogo, Shizuoka, Japan, 543 pp.
  29. Odhner, N. (1917) Results of the Dr. E. Mjöbergs Swedish Scientific Expeditions to Australia 1910–1913. XVII. Mollusca. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar, 52, 1–115. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.12985
  30. Pease, W.H. (1871) Description of nudibranchiate Mollusca inhabiting Polynesia. American Journal of Conchology, 6, 299–305.
  31. Risbec, J. (1928) Contribution à l’étude des nudibranches néo-calédoniens. Faune des Colonies Françaises, 2, 1–328.
  32. Rudman, W.B. (1999) (September 5) Gymnodoris ceylonica (Kelaart, 1858). Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from: http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/gymnceyl (accessed 7 September 2025)
  33. Rudman, W.B. & Darvell, B.W. (1990) Opisthobranch molluscs of Hong Kong. Part 1. Goniodorididae, Dorididae, Ochidorididae, Triophidae, Gymnodorididae, Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia). Asian Marine Biology, 7, 31–79.
  34. Rüppell, E. & Leuckart, F.S. (1828–1830) Atlas zu der Reise im Nördlichen Afrika von Eduard Rüppell, Neue Wirbellose Thiere des Rothen Meers. Gedruckt und in Commission bei Heinr. Ludw. Brönner, Frankfurt am Main. [unknown pagination]
  35. Stimpson, W. (1855) Descriptions of some of the new Marine Invertebrata from the Chinese and Japanese Seas. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, 7, 375–384. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.51445
  36. Swennen, C. (1996) Gymnodoris pattani, a new dorid nudibranch from Pattani Bay, Gulf of Thailand (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia). Bulletin Zöologisch Museum, Universiteit van Amsterdam, 15, 41–48.
  37. Yogesh Kumar, J.S., Venkatraman, C. & Raghunathan, C. (2021) New distribution record of heterobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Keelakarai coast, Gulf of Mannar, India. Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences, 50, 374–384. https://doi.org/10.56042/ijms.v50i05.66245
  38. Yonow, N. (2008) Sea slugs of the Red Sea. Pensoft, Sofia, 303 pp.
  39. Yonow, N. (2011) Results of the Rumphius Biohistorical Expedition to Ambon (1990). Part 15. The suborder Doridina (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Nudibranchia). Zoologische Mededelingen, 85, 905–956.

How to Cite

Souza-Canal, J.D. & Valdés, Ángel (2025) The genus Gymnodoris Stimpson, 1855 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia) in New Caledonia, with descriptions of eleven new species. Zootaxa, 5710 (1), 1–73. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5710.1.1