{"id":18489,"date":"2015-02-22T13:38:32","date_gmt":"2015-02-22T12:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opistobranquis.info\/?page_id=18489"},"modified":"2025-03-18T15:00:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T14:00:37","slug":"dondice-occidentalis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/opistobranquis.info\/en\/guia\/nudibranchia\/aeolidioidea\/dondice-occidentalis\/","title":{"rendered":"Dondice occidentalis"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Dondice occidentalis<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0(Engel, 1925)<\/h3>\n

\"Dondice<\/div>
Dondice occidentalis @ Key Largo, Florida (USA)<\/em> by Manuel Malaquias<\/center><\/span>

<\/p>

WoRMS Taxonomic Information<\/h3>
Current accepted name: Dondice occidentalis<\/em> (H. Engel, 1925)<\/strong><\/div>

Current classification<\/h4>
Superdomain<\/th>Biota<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Kingdom<\/th>Animalia<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Phylum<\/th>Mollusca<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Class<\/th>Gastropoda<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Subclass<\/th>Heterobranchia<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Infraclass<\/th>Euthyneura<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Subterclass<\/th>Ringipleura<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Superorder<\/th>Nudipleura<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Order<\/th>Nudibranchia<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Suborder<\/th>Aeolidina<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Superfamily<\/th>Aeolidioidea<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Family<\/th>Myrrhinidae<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Genus<\/th>Dondice<\/em><\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Species<\/th>Dondice occidentalis<\/em> (H. Engel, 1925)<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table>

Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [181246<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Taxonomic note:<\/strong> Dr. Philippe Bouchet (published in Furfaro & Mariottini, 2021) pointed out that the genus Nanuca<\/em> Er. Marcus, 1957 had priority over the genus Dondice<\/em> Er. Marcus, 1958. Consequently, the species in this clade should be classified under Nanuca<\/em> as new combinations. However, Garc\u00eda-M\u00e9ndez et al. (2022) assessed the systematics of Dondice<\/em> by conducting a molecular phylogenetic analysis on various representatives of Myrrhinidae<\/em>. Their results showed that both Dondice<\/em> and Nanuca<\/em> are monophyletic and valid genera, presenting several morphological diagnostic features that allow them to be differentiated.\u00a0They also conducted an integrative taxonomic approach focused on Dondice occidentalis<\/em> (Engel, 1925) and Dondice parguerensis<\/em> Brandon & Cutress, 1985 in the Western Atlantic, including a broader geographic and morphological range of specimens. They demonstrated that D. occidentalis<\/em> constitutes a complex of six pseudocryptic species with geographically restricted ranges across the Western Atlantic, and that D. parguerensis<\/em> is a distinct, valid species.\u00a0Dondice occidentalis<\/em> sensu stricto is recognized as the species in the genus with the greatest morphological variation, whereas the five new species, Dondice arianeae<\/em>, Dondice freddiemercuryi<\/em>, Dondice juansanchezi<\/em>, Dondice jupiteriensis<\/em>, and Dondice caboensis<\/em>, exhibit consistent morphological patterns, in agreement with their molecular distinctiveness.\u00a0The study by Garc\u00eda-M\u00e9ndez et al. (2022) increased the number of known Dondice<\/em> species from four to nine and highlighted the importance of addressing marine biodiversity within an integrative framework.<\/p>\n

Synonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n