''Trapania aurata'' 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), ...

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 ...

, a

dorid ''Doridacea'' is a taxonomic grouping of dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdes A. & Warén A. 2005''Classification and nomenclator of gastropod familie ...

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 Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Goniodorididae Goniodorididae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, specifically dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the order Opisthobranchia. Subfamilies * Anculinae * Goniodorinae Genera Genera in the family Goniodorididae include: * '' Anc ...

Distribution

This species was described from

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It has also been reported from

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

Description

The body of this goniodorid nudibranch is opaque white. The gills are white and the rhinophores and the lateral papillae are orange. The oral tentacles are orange and there is usually an orange line extending from the tip of the tail partway towards the gills. The coloration is similar to '' Trapania vitta'' except that in that species the lateral papillae are entirely white. '' Trapania gibbera'' is another species which is mainly white.Rudman, W.B., 1998 (November 17) ''Trapania aurata'' Rudman, 1987. [In
/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.">n">Rudman, W.B., 1998 (November 17) ''Trapania aurata'' Rudman, 1987. [In
/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney./ref>

Ecology

''Trapania aurata'' probably feeds on Entoprocta which often grow on sponges and other living substrata.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14500340 Goniodorididae Gastropods described in 1987