''Goniobranchus geometricus'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of colourful

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary ...

, a dorid

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to mat ...

, a marine gastropod mollusc 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 geometricus''.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2012-05-03

Distribution

This species was described from New Caledonia. It is found throughout the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

as well as the Western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

from the intertidal down to .Rudman, W.B., 1999 (January 15
''Chromodoris geometrica'' Risbec, 1928.
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Description

''Goniobranchus geometricus'' is a small nudibranch which may grow to a total length of 35mm. It is variably coloured, with the ground colour ranging from a creamy brown to purple, The mantle has numerous cream-coloured bumps and has a white margin. The

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they ar ...

s and

rhinophore A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea ...

s are white to greenish.King, D. & Fraser, V. 2001. ''More Reef Fishes and Nudibranchs'' Struik, Cape Town. It is very similar to ''

Goniobranchus conchyliatus ''Goniobranchus conchyliatus'' is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Chromodorididae.Bouchet, P. (2012)''Goniobranchus conchyliatus''.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species ...

'' but has green-grey rhinophores and gills whilst ''G. conchyliatus'' has red ones.

Ecology

This animal feeds on the sponge ''

Chelonaplysilla violacea ''Chelonaplysilla violacea'' is a species of sponge found mainly in New Zealand, but have been reported on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, including areas such as the Indo-Pacific, the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf, Australia, and Hawa ...

.Rudman, W. B. & Bergquist, P. R. (2007) ''A review of feeding specificity in the sponge-feeding Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia: Mollusca).'' Molluscan Research, 27(2): 60-88

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goniobranchus Geometricus Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1928