2026 · Photo: Boaz Liebes
Goniodoridella geminae
Philippines · Indo Pacific - South China Sea
- Size
- 2–3 mm
- Native range
- Western Pacific: eastern Australia (Queensland) and the Philippines
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Description
A minute goniodoridid described in 2023 as part of a complex of pseudocryptic species formerly lumped under Goniodoridella savignyi. The name ('of the twins') refers to its strong resemblance to its congeners.
Share link: https://seaslugs.org.il/species/goniodoridella-geminae-phillipines-indo-pacific-south-china-sea/
Identification
Opaque white body, 2–3 mm, with a single yellow mid-dorsal crest. Mantle edge, tips of the papillae, rhinophores, gill branches and often the foot tip are yellow. Two small conical papillae in front of the smooth, non-retractile rhinophores and two slender papillae behind the gill, which has four simple branches about as thick as these papillae.
Similar species
G. savignyi is translucent with three yellow dorsal rows and thinner gill branches; G. unidonta is more translucent with broad, triangular posterior papillae. Reliable separation often needs anatomy or DNA.
Habitat & diet
Habitat
Shallow coastal and reef habitats; type locality at 6 m.
Food
Not documented; like other Goniodoridella, presumably bryozoans.