Reading between the lines: revealing cryptic species diversity and colour patterns in Hypselodoris nudibranchs (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Chromodorididae)

2018/08/22 by Hannah E. Epstein, Joshua M. Hallas, Rebecca F. Johnson +2 · 29 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior

paper · doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zly048

openalex publication_date 2018/08/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22

Abstract

A molecular phylogeny is presented for 48 species of the genus Hypselodoris (Family: Chromodorididae), which incorporated 64 newly sequenced specimens. Hypselodoris is monophyletic and divided into Glades that exhibit varying support. Novel diversity was found, with the distinctness of 17 new species of Hypselodoris supported by the molecular phylogeny, subsequent species delimitation analysis and morphological data. The following species are described here: Hypselodoris alburtuqali Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris brycei Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris cerisae Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris confetti Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris iba Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris juniperae Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris katherinae Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris lacuna Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris melanesica Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris paradisa Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris peril Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris roo Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris rositoi Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris skyleri Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris variobranchia Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov., Hypselodoris violacea Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov. and Hypselodoris yarae Gosliner & Johnson sp. nov. Further examination of colour patterns supports previous suggestions that inheritance of colour patterns from common ancestors occurs, as do convergences, driven by Mullerian mimicry.

Citations

• Traditional Taxonomic Groupings Mask Evolutionary History: A Molecular Phylogeny and New Classification of the Chromodorid Nudibranchs
• The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris epicuria, C. aureopurpurea, C. annulata, C. coi and Risbecia tryoni colour groups
• Phylogeny of Hypselodoris (Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae) with a review of the monophyletic clade of Indo-Pacific species, including descriptions of twelve new species
• Bayesian Estimation of Ancestral Character States on Phylogenies
• Seeing double: pseudocryptic diversity in the Doriopsilla albopunctata‐Doriopsilla gemela species complex of the north‐eastern Pacific
• The Chromodorididae (Opisthobranchia: Mollusca) of the Indo-West Pacific: Chromodoris quadricolor, C. lineolata and Hypselodoris nigrolineata colour groups
• Table 1 in A new Gammarus species from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (China) with a key to Xinjiang freshwater gammarids (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridae)
• The Model Organism Hermissenda crassicornis (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) Is a Species Complex
• A test of color-based taxonomy in nudibranchs: Molecular phylogeny and species delimitation of the Felimida clenchi (Mollusca: Chromodorididae) species complex
• Integrative taxonomy of the Felimare californiensis and F. ghiselini species complex (Nudibranchia: Chromodorididae), with description of a new species from Peru
• Ontogeny as an important part of integrative taxonomy in tergipedid aeolidaceans (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) with a description of a new genus and species from the Barents Sea

Cited by

• Integrative taxonomy reveals a cryptic species of the nudibranch genusPolycera(Polyceridae) in European waters
• Felimare alaini [wikipedia]
• Felimare pinna [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris alburtuqali [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris apolegma [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris brycei [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris bullockii [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris cerisae [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris decorata [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris ghardaqana [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris iba [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris juniperae [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris katherinae [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris krakatoa [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris lacuna [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris maculosa [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris melanesica [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris paradisa [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris peasei [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris perii [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris reidi [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris rosans [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris rositoi [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris rudmani [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris skyleri [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris variobranchia [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris violacea [wikipedia]
• Hypselodoris yarae [wikipedia]