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.

 

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (February 4) Trapania goddardi Hermosillo & Valdes, 2004. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/trapgodd

Related messages


Another photo of Trapania goddardi

February 8, 2005
From: Jeff Goddard

Dear Bill,

Here is another photo of Trapania goddardi for inclusion on the Forum. It is a photo taken by James Lance for me of the original specimen of this species that I found in Mexico in 1985. I found it in February of that year under an intertidal cobble in Santa Cruz, Nayarit, Mexico. In this specimen, the symmetrical pattern of dark patches is very noticeable.

Jeff Goddard

goddard@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Goddard, J., 2005 (Feb 8) Another photo of Trapania goddardi. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12939

Thanks Jeff,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Feb 8). Comment on Another photo of Trapania goddardi by Jeff Goddard . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12939

Trapania goddardi, a new Mexican species

February 7, 2005
From: Bill Rudman

I have just posted a Fact Sheet on a recently described species of Trapania, Trapania goddardi, recently described from the Pacific coast of Mexico.

  • Hermosillo, A. and Valdes, A. (2004)  Two new species of dorid nudibranchs (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia) from Bahia de Banderas and La Paz, Mexico. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 55: 550-560.

Best wishes
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Feb 7) Trapania goddardi, a new Mexican species. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13087