''Goniobranchus epicurius'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of colourful

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some Marine biology, marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial Slug, slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are Sea snail, sea snails (marine gastropod moll ...

called a dorid

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the family

Chromodorididae Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a taxonomic family of colourful sea slugs; dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals.� ...

.Bouchet, P. (2012)
''Goniobranchus epicurius''.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05-02

Distribution

This species is known to range from

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

.Rudman, W.B., 1999 (October 11
''Chromodoris epicuria'' (Basedow & Hedley, 1905).
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

''Goniobranchus epicurius'' is a chromodorid nudibranch with a translucent white mantle. The edge of the mantle is opaque white with orange spots. There are thin opaque white longitudinal lines and small orange spots on the mantle. The rhinophores and gills are translucent, edged with opaque white pigment. Specimens with a heavy dusting of red pigment and no white lines on the mantle match the original description.Debelius, H. & Kuiter, R.H. (2007) ''Nudibranchs of the world''. ConchBooks, Frankfurt, 360 pp. page(s): 150

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5581883 Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1905 Gastropods of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia