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Issue: Vol. 5793 No. 1: 15 Apr. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-04-15
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5793.1.9
Page range: 193-217
Abstract views: 57
PDF downloaded: 2

The most wanted! Gorgeous, delicate and surprising: description of three new polycerid species (Mollusca, Heterobranchia) from East Timor

Departamento de Biología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Campus de Excelencia Internacional UAM; CSIC; Madrid; Spain; Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM). Campus de Excelencia Internacional UAM; CSIC; Madrid; Spain
Division of Invertebrate Zoology; American Museum of Natural History; New York; NY; USA
Departamento de Biología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Campus de Excelencia Internacional UAM; CSIC; Madrid; Spain
13/1 Grange Loan; Edinburgh; EH9 2NP; UK
Dreamers Dive Academy Timor; Ave De Metiaut; Dili; Timor Leste
Departamento de Biología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Campus de Excelencia Internacional UAM; CSIC; Madrid; Spain; Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM). Campus de Excelencia Internacional UAM; CSIC; Madrid; Spain
Mollusca new species Polyceridae sea slugs taxonomic impediment Timor-Leste

Abstract

Sea slugs are known as the jewels of the sea, prized by most divers and treasured by underwater photographers. Some species are very rare or difficult to spot, but others are quite common and are often featured in field guides and web pages. However, it is surprising that some of those most common and incredibly beautiful creatures are sometimes undescribed species or, in some cases, misidentified as other species. In this paper, we formally name and describe three of these well-photographed species: Thecacera melkyi sp. nov., Thecacera pikachu sp. nov. and Nembrotha lorosae sp. nov. all belonging to the family Polyceridae Alder and Hancock, 1845, and collected in East Timor. We perform species delimitation analyses and present their phylogenetic scenario based on two mitochondrial (COI, 16S rRNA) and one nuclear marker (H3). We also reveal a new color morphotype of Nembrotha purpureolineata O’Donoghue, 1924 and highlight two possible undescribed species—one Thecacera J. Fleming, 1828 and one Nembrotha Bergh, 1877. It is essential to continue searching for and fully describing new species, especially in less-studied regions, to understand the true biodiversity of our seas.

 

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How to Cite

Pola, M., Paz-Sedano, S., Martín, P.G., Warren, L., Noble, K. & Martín-Hervás, M.D.R. (2026) The most wanted! Gorgeous, delicate and surprising: description of three new polycerid species (Mollusca, Heterobranchia) from East Timor. Zootaxa, 5793 (1), 193–217. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5793.1.9