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Trinchesiidae
Trinchesiidae is a family of small aeolid nudibranchs in the superfamily Fionoidea (suborder Cladobranchia), separated from the former Tergipedidae largely on molecular evidence; it includes genera such as Trinchesia, Catriona, Diaphoreolis, Tenellia and Phestilla, though the number of genera is still debated. Members occur worldwide, and several Trinchesia species are common in the Mediterranean. Most feed on hydroids, but Phestilla species eat stony corals. Many species were previously placed in the genus Cuthona.
Trinchesiids are small, slender aeolids with smooth rhinophores and smooth, spindle-shaped cerata arranged in rows along the back; the cerata often show bright subapical bands of blue, yellow, orange or white. The oral tentacles are moderately long and the foot corners are rounded. Smooth, banded cerata distinguish them from the swollen, knobbly cerata of Eubranchidae, and smooth rhinophores separate them from Flabellinidae-type and Facelinidae aeolids with ringed or perfoliate rhinophores.
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