Tritoniidae is a

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. A ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

s in the suborder

Cladobranchia The Cladobranchia are a taxonomic clade of nudibranchs, sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Dexiarchia. Taxonomy clade Metarminida * Superfamily Metarminoidea This name is not available as a Superfamily name as it is not base ...

, shell-less

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod molluscs.MolluscaBase (2018)
Tritoniidae Lamarck, 1809.
Accessed on 2021-01-01 This family includes some of the largest known nudibranchs, with the NE Atlantic species '' Tritonia hombergii'' reaching 20 cm in length. It is the only family in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

superfamily Tritonioidea.

Distribution

These nudibranchs occur worldwide in warm and temperate seas and in the coldest waters and deep sea, wherever the

octocoral Octocorallia (also known as Alcyonaria) is a class of Anthozoa comprising around 3,000 species of water-based organisms formed of colonial polyps with 8-fold symmetry. It includes the blue coral, soft corals, sea pens, and gorgonians (sea fans ...

s which they eat are found.

Ecology

Members of the family Tritoniidae feed on octocorals, including sea pens, alcyonarian soft corals, and gorgonians, often being cryptic in shape and colouration upon them.García-Matucheski, S. and Muniain, C. (2011). Predation by the nudibranch ''Tritonia odhneri'' (Opisthobranchia:Tritoniidae) on octocorals from the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Biodiversity, 41(2), 287–297. They share this trait with the

Arminidae Arminidae is a family of sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Arminoidea. Taxonomy The family Arminidae is classified within the clade Cladobranchia, itself belonging to the clade Nudibranchia (according to the taxonomy o ...

which were previously thought to be only distantly related, but have been shown to be closely related to the Tritoniidae by a recent study.Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A. (2020)
Consolidated data on the phylogeny and evolution of the family Tritoniidae (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) contribute to genera reassessment and clarify the taxonomic status of the neuroscience models ''Tritonia'' and ''Tochuina''.
PLOS ONE. 15(11): e0242103.

Genera

The genera in the family Tritoniidae include: * '' Duvaucelia'' Risso, 1826 * ''

Marianina ''Marianina'' is a genus of sea slugs, nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs in the family Tritoniidae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Marianina'' Pruvot-Fol, 1931.Accessed on 2021-01-09. Species Two species are recognised in the genus ''Ma ...

'' Pruvot-Fol, 1931 * ''

Marionia ''Marionia'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dendronotid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by m ...

'' Vayssiere, 1877 * ''

Paratritonia ''Paratritonia'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dendronotid nudibranchs. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tritoniidae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Paratritonia'' Baba, 1949.Accessed on 2021-01-09. A monotypic genus, the onl ...

'' Baba, 1949 * ''

Tochuina ''Tochuina'' is a genus of sea slugs, tritonid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Tritoniidae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tochuina'' Odhner, 1963.Accessed on 2021-01-06. Taxonomy The species composition of ''Tochuina'' was clarif ...

'' Odhner, 1963 * '' Tritonia''

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1798 * ''

Tritonicula ''Tritonicula'' is a genus of sea slugs, nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs in the family Tritoniidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020)MolluscaBase. ''Tritonicula'' Korshunova & Martynov, 2020.Accessed on 2021-01-01. It contains species ...

'' Korshunova & Martynov, 2020 * ''

Tritonidoxa ''Tritonidoxa'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dendronotid nudibranchs. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tritoniidae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tritonidoxa'' Bergh, 1908.Accessed on 2021-01-09. Species A monotypic genus, t ...

'' Bergh, 1907 * ''

Tritoniella ''Tritoniella'' is a genus of sea slugs, specifically dendronotid nudibranchs. It is a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tritoniidae.The genus was described in 1907 by the British diplomat and malacologist Charles Eliot. Description ...

'' Eliot, 1907 * '' Tritoniopsis'' Eliot, 1905

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q146602