Trapania goddardi
Hermosillo & Valdes, 2004

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Goniodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

Known only from the Pacific coast of Mexico (Bahia de Banderas and Santa Cruz).

PHOTO

Islas Marietas, Bahia de Banderas, Pacific coast, Mexico, 9 m. 17 April 2003. Upper right: [Holotype LACM 3039].  7 mm long alive. Lower photos: [Paratype CASIZ 171662]  6 mm long alive. Photos: Alicia Hermosillo

Animal of typical shape for the genus. The body is translucent whitish with varying amounts of brown pigmentation causing some animals to look white with brown speckling and others quite brown with darker speckling. Apart from a random scattering of brown specks there is a distinct pattern of larger brown patches arranged symmetrically on the body. behind the rhinophores there are a pair of large elongate or diamond shaped brown patches which sometimes join in the dorsal midline. Below each of these dorsal patches is a similarly shaped lateral patch which sometimes merges with the dorsal patch. At the level of the gills there appears to be a pair of latero-dorsal patches on each side, one just in front of the gills and one just behind. There is also a medio-dorsal patch immediately behind the gills. The latero-dorsal processes, gills and rhinophores are translucent white with varying degrees of brown speckling. The animal grows to at least 7 mm in length.

• Hermosillo, A. & Valdés, Á. (2004) Two New Species of Dorid Nudibranchs (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia) from Bahía de Banderas and La Paz, Mexico. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 55(28): 550–560, 5 figs.

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