Metarminoidea is a provisional taxonomic superfamily 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 ...

s, aeolid

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 ...

s, marine opisthobranch

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 ...

s in the

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

Nudibranchia.Gofas, S. (2014). Metarminoidea Odhner, 1968. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225537 on 2015-02-11 This name is unfortunately not available as a superfamily name, because it is not based on a genus. It is used here because, as of February 2015, no replacement name has yet been proposed.

Description

The nudibranchs in this superfamily share with the Aeolidida the possession of dorsal

cerata :''The tortrix moth genus ''Cerata'' is considered a junior synonym of ''Cydia (genus), Cydia. Cerata, singular ceras, are anatomical structures found externally in nudibranch sea slugs, especially in aeolid nudibranchs, marine animal, marine opi ...

. Unlike the cerata of aeolids they have either no digestive gland or short digestive gland intrusions into the cerata and no

cnidosac A cnidosac is an anatomical feature that is found in the group of sea slugs known as aeolid nudibranchs, a clade of marine (ocean), marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk, molluscs. A cnidosac contains cnidocytes, stinging cells that are also known ...

s. In the

Goniaeolididae ''Goniaeolis'' is a Monotypic taxon, monotypic genus of sea slug, a nudibranch, a marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Goniaeolididae containing the single species ''Goniaeolis typica''.Gofas, S. (2014).''Gonia ...

the digestive gland is ramified beneath the skin but does not extend into the cerata. The cerata are easily cast off and are probably defensive in purpose. In the Proctonotidae the cerata are cored with extensions of the digestive gland which terminates midway up the ceras in some species and extends to the tip in others. The anus may be on the right-hand side of the body (as in aeolids) or in the middle of the back towards the tail end (as in dorids).Thompson, T. E., & G. H. Brown. 1984. Biology of opisthobranch molluscs, vol. 2, 229 pp., 41 pls. Ray Society, no. 156. page 96.

References

Obsolete gastropod taxa {{Heterobranchia-stub