Tritoniidae

Tritoniidae are a family of nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs or sea slugs, and the only member of the superfamily Tritonioidea and the suborder Tritoniacea.^[1] This family includes some of the largest known nudibranchs, with the NE Atlantic species Tritonia hombergii reaching 20 cm in length.

Distribution

These nudibranchs occur worldwide in warm and temperate seas and in the coldest waters and deep sea, wherever the octocorals 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.^[2] They share this trait with the Arminidae which were previously thought to be only distantly related, but have been shown to be closely related to the Tritoniidae by a recent study.^[3]

Taxonomy

Distributed among two subfamilies, the following genera are recognised in the family Tritoniidae:^[4]^[5]

Subfamily MarioniinaeF. V. Silva, Pola & Cervera, 2023^[4]
- Genus MarioniaVayssière, 1877
- Genus MarioniopsisOdhner, 1934
- Genus ParatritoniaBaba, 1949
Subfamily TritoniinaeLamarck, 1809
- Genus CandiellaJ. E. Gray, 1850
- Genus MarianinaPruvot-Fol, 1931
- Genus MyrellaOdhner, 1963
- Genus TochuinaOdhner, 1963
- Genus TritoniaCuvier, 1797
- Genus TritoniculaKorshunova & Martynov, 2020
- Genus TritonidoxaBergh, 1907
- Genus TritoniellaEliot, 1907
- Genus TritoniopsisEliot, 1905

References

1 2Korshunova, Tatiana; Fletcher, Karin; Martynov, Alexander (2025-08-01). "The endless forms are the most differentiated—how taxonomic pseudo-optimization masked natural diversity and evolution: the nudibranch case". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 204 (4). doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf057. ISSN 0024-4082.
↑ García-Matucheski, S. y Muniain, C. (2011). Depredación por el nudibranquio Tritonia odhneri (Opisthobranchia:Tritoniidae) sobre octocorales del Océano Atlántico Sur. Biodiversidad marina, 41(2), 287–297.
↑ Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A. (2020). Los datos consolidados sobre la filogenia y evolución de la familia Tritoniidae (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) contribuyen a la reevaluación de los géneros y aclaran el estatus taxonómico de los modelos neurocientíficos Tritonia y Tochuina . PLOS ONE. 15(11): e0242103.
1 2 De Vasconcelos Silva, Felipe; Pola, Marta; Cervera, Juan Lucas (2023-10-03). "Una placa estomacal para dividirlos a todos: una reevaluación filogenética de la familia Tritoniidae (Nudibranchia: Cladobranchia)" . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 199 (2): 445– 476. doi : 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad013 . ISSN 0024-4082 .
^ Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, García-Alvarez O (eds.). "Tritoniidae Lamarck, 1809" . Base de moluscos . Registro Mundial de Especies Marinas . Consultado el 22 de marzo de 2026 .

[Korshunova_et_al2025-1] 1 2Korshunova, Tatiana; Fletcher, Karin; Martynov, Alexander (2025-08-01). "The endless forms are the most differentiated—how taxonomic pseudo-optimization masked natural diversity and evolution: the nudibranch case". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 204 (4). doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf057. ISSN 0024-4082.

[2] García-Matucheski, S. y Muniain, C. (2011). Depredación por el nudibranquio Tritonia odhneri (Opisthobranchia:Tritoniidae) sobre octocorales del Océano Atlántico Sur. Biodiversidad marina, 41(2), 287–297.

[KM2021-3] Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A. (2020). Los datos consolidados sobre la filogenia y evolución de la familia Tritoniidae (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) contribuyen a la reevaluación de los géneros y aclaran el estatus taxonómico de los modelos neurocientíficos Tritonia y Tochuina . PLOS ONE. 15(11): e0242103.

[Silva_et_al2023-4] 1 2 De Vasconcelos Silva, Felipe; Pola, Marta; Cervera, Juan Lucas (2023-10-03). "Una placa estomacal para dividirlos a todos: una reevaluación filogenética de la familia Tritoniidae (Nudibranchia: Cladobranchia)" . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 199 (2): 445– 476. doi : 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad013 . ISSN 0024-4082 .

[5] Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, García-Alvarez O (eds.). "Tritoniidae Lamarck, 1809" . Base de moluscos . Registro Mundial de Especies Marinas . Consultado el 22 de marzo de 2026 .

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