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<\/div>Goniobranchus obsoletus @ Gordon beach, Tel Aviv , Israel<\/em> by Tal Shema<\/center><\/span><\/p>WoRMS Taxonomic Information<\/h3>Current accepted name: Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830)<\/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>Doridina<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Infraorder<\/th>Doridoidei<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Superfamily<\/th>Chromodoridoidea<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Family<\/th>Chromodorididae<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Subfamily<\/th>Chromodoridinae<\/a><\/td><\/tr>Genus<\/th>Goniobranchus<\/em><\/a><\/td><\/tr>Species<\/th>Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830)<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/table>Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [597365<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Taxonomic note:<\/strong> Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> was originally described by Eduard R\u00fcppell and Friedrich S. Leuckart as Doris obsoleta<\/em>, based on material from the Red Sea. The publication date has appeared as either 1830 or 1831 in subsequent literature, but the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) currently accepts the authorship and date as Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830). The original combination was Doris obsoleta<\/em>; the species was subsequently included in Casella<\/em> and, for much of the twentieth-century literature, in Chromodoris<\/em>. The genus Goniobranchus<\/em> was established by William Harper Pease in 1866. For a long time, the genus was treated as subordinate to Chromodoris<\/em>, but molecular phylogenetic studies by Johnson & Gosliner (2012) demonstrated that Chromodoris<\/em> was not monophyletic and reinstated Goniobranchus<\/em> as a valid genus for one of the clades formerly included in Chromodoris<\/em>.<\/p>\nSynonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n\nCasella obsoleta<\/i> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1831)<\/span><\/li>\nChromodoris obsoleta<\/i> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1831)<\/span><\/li>\nDoris obsoleta<\/i> R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830 (original)<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDescription\n<\/strong>A dorid nudibranch with an oval and relatively elongated body, with a rugose-looking notum due to the presence of low, raised tubercles or pustules. The colour pattern is highly characteristic: the dorsum is milky white, crossed by a brownish-orange reticulation arranged between the elevations of the notum. The mantle margin bears an orange band, immediately followed internally by an irregular dark-blue or bluish-black band. Together, these marginal bands constitute one of the most useful external characters for identifying the species. The rhinophores are translucent, brownish to orange in colour, with their lamellae edged in opaque white. The gills are similarly translucent, brownish or brownish-orange, with the edges of the branches white. The colour of the notum may partially show through on the ventral surface of the mantle, while the foot is white. The species may reach approximately 40 mm in length, although considerably smaller specimens have also been documented; for example, Rudman examined a 17 mm living specimen from Suakin in the Red Sea, and individuals measuring 10\u201320 mm have been recorded from the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>It is a species associated with rocky bottoms and hard substrates, including reefs, dead-coral structures and artificial structures, generally in shallow water. In the Persian Gulf it has been observed from very shallow water -2\u20135 m in Bahrain- to approximately 16 m in the Gulf of Oman, while a specimen from the Red Sea was recorded at 17 m. In the Mediterranean, it has also been observed in shallow rocky habitats and in a submarine cave. It feeds on sponges, although the identity of these sponges has not been demonstrated with certainty. Rudman suggested Chelonaplysilla violacea<\/em> as a possible food source based on photographic observations, although he explicitly considered that this identification required confirmation. Information on its reproduction is scarce. At Ayia Napa (Cyprus), a yellowish egg mass in the form of a ribbon was found attached to a rock close to the observed specimens, providing direct evidence of reproduction of the species in the Mediterranean. Rudman published an observation in 2007 of two specimens apparently copulating in Saudi Arabia. Regarding the possibility of direct development of the egg masses, Rudman pointed out that the study by Gohar & Soliman (1967), which described direct development in Casella obsoleta<\/em>, probably actually concerned a species of Glossodoris<\/em> rather than Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em>.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGoniobranchus<\/em>, from\u00a0Greek \u201cgonios\u201d, angle and \u201cbrangchia\u201d, gills.<\/li>\nObsoletus<\/em>. From Latin “obsoletus”,\u00a0hackneyed,\u00a0worn-out, dilapidated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Classification provided by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). [597365<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Taxonomic note:<\/strong> Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> was originally described by Eduard R\u00fcppell and Friedrich S. Leuckart as Doris obsoleta<\/em>, based on material from the Red Sea. The publication date has appeared as either 1830 or 1831 in subsequent literature, but the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) currently accepts the authorship and date as Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830). The original combination was Doris obsoleta<\/em>; the species was subsequently included in Casella<\/em> and, for much of the twentieth-century literature, in Chromodoris<\/em>. The genus Goniobranchus<\/em> was established by William Harper Pease in 1866. For a long time, the genus was treated as subordinate to Chromodoris<\/em>, but molecular phylogenetic studies by Johnson & Gosliner (2012) demonstrated that Chromodoris<\/em> was not monophyletic and reinstated Goniobranchus<\/em> as a valid genus for one of the clades formerly included in Chromodoris<\/em>.<\/p>\nSynonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n\nCasella obsoleta<\/i> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1831)<\/span><\/li>\nChromodoris obsoleta<\/i> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1831)<\/span><\/li>\nDoris obsoleta<\/i> R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830 (original)<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDescription\n<\/strong>A dorid nudibranch with an oval and relatively elongated body, with a rugose-looking notum due to the presence of low, raised tubercles or pustules. The colour pattern is highly characteristic: the dorsum is milky white, crossed by a brownish-orange reticulation arranged between the elevations of the notum. The mantle margin bears an orange band, immediately followed internally by an irregular dark-blue or bluish-black band. Together, these marginal bands constitute one of the most useful external characters for identifying the species. The rhinophores are translucent, brownish to orange in colour, with their lamellae edged in opaque white. The gills are similarly translucent, brownish or brownish-orange, with the edges of the branches white. The colour of the notum may partially show through on the ventral surface of the mantle, while the foot is white. The species may reach approximately 40 mm in length, although considerably smaller specimens have also been documented; for example, Rudman examined a 17 mm living specimen from Suakin in the Red Sea, and individuals measuring 10\u201320 mm have been recorded from the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>It is a species associated with rocky bottoms and hard substrates, including reefs, dead-coral structures and artificial structures, generally in shallow water. In the Persian Gulf it has been observed from very shallow water -2\u20135 m in Bahrain- to approximately 16 m in the Gulf of Oman, while a specimen from the Red Sea was recorded at 17 m. In the Mediterranean, it has also been observed in shallow rocky habitats and in a submarine cave. It feeds on sponges, although the identity of these sponges has not been demonstrated with certainty. Rudman suggested Chelonaplysilla violacea<\/em> as a possible food source based on photographic observations, although he explicitly considered that this identification required confirmation. Information on its reproduction is scarce. At Ayia Napa (Cyprus), a yellowish egg mass in the form of a ribbon was found attached to a rock close to the observed specimens, providing direct evidence of reproduction of the species in the Mediterranean. Rudman published an observation in 2007 of two specimens apparently copulating in Saudi Arabia. Regarding the possibility of direct development of the egg masses, Rudman pointed out that the study by Gohar & Soliman (1967), which described direct development in Casella obsoleta<\/em>, probably actually concerned a species of Glossodoris<\/em> rather than Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em>.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGoniobranchus<\/em>, from\u00a0Greek \u201cgonios\u201d, angle and \u201cbrangchia\u201d, gills.<\/li>\nObsoletus<\/em>. From Latin “obsoletus”,\u00a0hackneyed,\u00a0worn-out, dilapidated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Synonyms<\/strong><\/p>\n\nCasella obsoleta<\/i> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1831)<\/span><\/li>\nChromodoris obsoleta<\/i> (R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1831)<\/span><\/li>\nDoris obsoleta<\/i> R\u00fcppell & Leuckart, 1830 (original)<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDescription\n<\/strong>A dorid nudibranch with an oval and relatively elongated body, with a rugose-looking notum due to the presence of low, raised tubercles or pustules. The colour pattern is highly characteristic: the dorsum is milky white, crossed by a brownish-orange reticulation arranged between the elevations of the notum. The mantle margin bears an orange band, immediately followed internally by an irregular dark-blue or bluish-black band. Together, these marginal bands constitute one of the most useful external characters for identifying the species. The rhinophores are translucent, brownish to orange in colour, with their lamellae edged in opaque white. The gills are similarly translucent, brownish or brownish-orange, with the edges of the branches white. The colour of the notum may partially show through on the ventral surface of the mantle, while the foot is white. The species may reach approximately 40 mm in length, although considerably smaller specimens have also been documented; for example, Rudman examined a 17 mm living specimen from Suakin in the Red Sea, and individuals measuring 10\u201320 mm have been recorded from the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>It is a species associated with rocky bottoms and hard substrates, including reefs, dead-coral structures and artificial structures, generally in shallow water. In the Persian Gulf it has been observed from very shallow water -2\u20135 m in Bahrain- to approximately 16 m in the Gulf of Oman, while a specimen from the Red Sea was recorded at 17 m. In the Mediterranean, it has also been observed in shallow rocky habitats and in a submarine cave. It feeds on sponges, although the identity of these sponges has not been demonstrated with certainty. Rudman suggested Chelonaplysilla violacea<\/em> as a possible food source based on photographic observations, although he explicitly considered that this identification required confirmation. Information on its reproduction is scarce. At Ayia Napa (Cyprus), a yellowish egg mass in the form of a ribbon was found attached to a rock close to the observed specimens, providing direct evidence of reproduction of the species in the Mediterranean. Rudman published an observation in 2007 of two specimens apparently copulating in Saudi Arabia. Regarding the possibility of direct development of the egg masses, Rudman pointed out that the study by Gohar & Soliman (1967), which described direct development in Casella obsoleta<\/em>, probably actually concerned a species of Glossodoris<\/em> rather than Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em>.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGoniobranchus<\/em>, from\u00a0Greek \u201cgonios\u201d, angle and \u201cbrangchia\u201d, gills.<\/li>\nObsoletus<\/em>. From Latin “obsoletus”,\u00a0hackneyed,\u00a0worn-out, dilapidated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Description\n<\/strong>A dorid nudibranch with an oval and relatively elongated body, with a rugose-looking notum due to the presence of low, raised tubercles or pustules. The colour pattern is highly characteristic: the dorsum is milky white, crossed by a brownish-orange reticulation arranged between the elevations of the notum. The mantle margin bears an orange band, immediately followed internally by an irregular dark-blue or bluish-black band. Together, these marginal bands constitute one of the most useful external characters for identifying the species. The rhinophores are translucent, brownish to orange in colour, with their lamellae edged in opaque white. The gills are similarly translucent, brownish or brownish-orange, with the edges of the branches white. The colour of the notum may partially show through on the ventral surface of the mantle, while the foot is white. The species may reach approximately 40 mm in length, although considerably smaller specimens have also been documented; for example, Rudman examined a 17 mm living specimen from Suakin in the Red Sea, and individuals measuring 10\u201320 mm have been recorded from the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\nBiology\n<\/strong>It is a species associated with rocky bottoms and hard substrates, including reefs, dead-coral structures and artificial structures, generally in shallow water. In the Persian Gulf it has been observed from very shallow water -2\u20135 m in Bahrain- to approximately 16 m in the Gulf of Oman, while a specimen from the Red Sea was recorded at 17 m. In the Mediterranean, it has also been observed in shallow rocky habitats and in a submarine cave. It feeds on sponges, although the identity of these sponges has not been demonstrated with certainty. Rudman suggested Chelonaplysilla violacea<\/em> as a possible food source based on photographic observations, although he explicitly considered that this identification required confirmation. Information on its reproduction is scarce. At Ayia Napa (Cyprus), a yellowish egg mass in the form of a ribbon was found attached to a rock close to the observed specimens, providing direct evidence of reproduction of the species in the Mediterranean. Rudman published an observation in 2007 of two specimens apparently copulating in Saudi Arabia. Regarding the possibility of direct development of the egg masses, Rudman pointed out that the study by Gohar & Soliman (1967), which described direct development in Casella obsoleta<\/em>, probably actually concerned a species of Glossodoris<\/em> rather than Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em>.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGoniobranchus<\/em>, from\u00a0Greek \u201cgonios\u201d, angle and \u201cbrangchia\u201d, gills.<\/li>\nObsoletus<\/em>. From Latin “obsoletus”,\u00a0hackneyed,\u00a0worn-out, dilapidated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Biology\n<\/strong>It is a species associated with rocky bottoms and hard substrates, including reefs, dead-coral structures and artificial structures, generally in shallow water. In the Persian Gulf it has been observed from very shallow water -2\u20135 m in Bahrain- to approximately 16 m in the Gulf of Oman, while a specimen from the Red Sea was recorded at 17 m. In the Mediterranean, it has also been observed in shallow rocky habitats and in a submarine cave. It feeds on sponges, although the identity of these sponges has not been demonstrated with certainty. Rudman suggested Chelonaplysilla violacea<\/em> as a possible food source based on photographic observations, although he explicitly considered that this identification required confirmation. Information on its reproduction is scarce. At Ayia Napa (Cyprus), a yellowish egg mass in the form of a ribbon was found attached to a rock close to the observed specimens, providing direct evidence of reproduction of the species in the Mediterranean. Rudman published an observation in 2007 of two specimens apparently copulating in Saudi Arabia. Regarding the possibility of direct development of the egg masses, Rudman pointed out that the study by Gohar & Soliman (1967), which described direct development in Casella obsoleta<\/em>, probably actually concerned a species of Glossodoris<\/em> rather than Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em>.<\/p>\nEtymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGoniobranchus<\/em>, from\u00a0Greek \u201cgonios\u201d, angle and \u201cbrangchia\u201d, gills.<\/li>\nObsoletus<\/em>. From Latin “obsoletus”,\u00a0hackneyed,\u00a0worn-out, dilapidated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Etymology<\/strong><\/p>\n\nGoniobranchus<\/em>, from\u00a0Greek \u201cgonios\u201d, angle and \u201cbrangchia\u201d, gills.<\/li>\nObsoletus<\/em>. From Latin “obsoletus”,\u00a0hackneyed,\u00a0worn-out, dilapidated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nDistribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Distribution\n<\/strong>The originally known distribution of Goniobranchus obsoletus<\/em> is relatively restricted. It was described from the Red Sea and subsequently documented from various localities in the northern Indian Ocean, including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Rudman considered it a species apparently restricted to the northwestern sector of the Indian Ocean, and noted that published records were relatively scarce. There is insufficient evidence to attribute a much broader distribution across the Indo-Pacific. In recent years, it has been recorded from the eastern Mediterranean, where it has become established as a non-indigenous species following its arrival from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. The first published Mediterranean record was from the Mediterranean coast of Israel in 2015. Halevy et al.<\/em> documented several specimens photographed off Tel Aviv: one specimen was photographed in May 2015 and several more in June of the same year. Another specimen was recorded off Caesarea, at approximately 6 m depth, in May 2015. In Cyprus, Kleitou et al.<\/em> (2019) observed several specimens in a submarine cave off Ayia Napa, where an egg mass was also found. In Turkey, G\u00f6ko\u011flu & B\u00fcy\u00fck reported the first record for the country in 2020, based on a specimen observed on 24 June 2019 during a dive, in a submerged cave at Antalya Falez, at a depth of 5 m (36.849133\u00b0 N, 30.778211\u00b0 E), on the cave wall. The species is also currently documented along the Mediterranean coast of Syria, at Latakia, where a specimen was observed in 2016 at approximately 2 m depth on rocky substrate; at Jableh, where a specimen was recorded in September 2019 at 1\u20132 m in a small depression on a rocky shore; and at Al-Massab, Tartus, where another specimen was documented in April 2021 in a small marina. These records indicate a certain expansion throughout the Levantine sector of the Mediterranean. \n <\/div>\n Loading records\u2026<\/div>\n \n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
![\"Goniobranchus](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/opistobranquis.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Goniobranchus-obsoletus-%40-Gordon-beach-Tel-Aviv-by-Tal-Shema-3.jpg?w=900&ssl=1\")
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