Aeolidacea

Aeolidacea
	From left to right in each row, from top to bottom: Aeolidiella alderi (Aeolidioidea), Fiona pinnata (Fionoidea), Coryphella nobilis (Flabellinoidea), Embletonia gracilis (Embletonioidea)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Nudibranchia
Suborder:	Aeolidacea; Odhner, 1934
Superfamilies
	Aeolidioidea; Apataoidea; Cumanotoidea; Chudoidea; Embletonioidea; Fionoidea; Flabellinoidea; Flabellinopsoidea; Notaeolidioidea; Samloidea; Unidentioidea;

Aeolidacea is a suborder of nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs or sea slugs.

Taxonomy

The following superfamilies and families are recognised in the suborder Aeolidacea, following the 2025 revision of the taxonomy of Aeolidacea by Korshunova and colleagues based on the results of molecular phylogenetic analysises. Families interpreted as synonyms under the scheme presented by Ekimova et al. (2026) are identified:

Superfamily Aeolidioidea Gray, 1827
- Family Aeolidiidae Gray, 1827
- Family Babakinidae Roller, 1973
- Family Facelinidae Bergh, 1899
- Family Favorinidae Bergh, 1899
- Family Glaucidae Gray, 1827
- Family Myrrhinidae Bergh, 1905
- Family Pleurolidiidae Burn, 1966
Superfamily Apataoidea Korshunova et al., 2017
- Family Apataidae Korshunova et al., 2017
Superfamily Cumanotoidea Odhner, 1907
- Family Cumanotidae Odhner, 1907
- Family Pseudovermidae Thiele, 1931
Superfamily Chudoidea Korshunova, Fletcher & Martynov, 2025
- Family Chudidae Korshunova, Fletcher & Martynov, 2025
Superfamily Embletonioidea Pruvot-Fol, 1954
- Family Embletoniidae Pruvot-Fol, 1954
Superfamily Fionoidea Gray, 1857
- Family Abronicidae Korshunova et al., 2017
- Family Calmidae Iredale and O’Donoghue, 1923
- Family Cuthonellidae Miller, 1971
- Family Cuthonidae Odhner, 1934
- Family Eubranchidae Odhner, 1934
- Family Fionidae Gray, 1857
- Family Murmaniidae Korshunova et al., 2017
- Family Tergipedidae Bergh, 1889
- Family Trinchesiidae Nordsieck, 1972
- Family Xenocratenidae Martynov et al., 2020
Superfamily Flabellinoidea Bergh, 1889
- Family ?Coryphellidae Bergh, 1889 (proposed junior synonym of Flabellinidae Bergh, 1889)
- Family Flabellinidae Bergh, 1889
- Family ?Paracoryphellidae Miller, 1971 (proposed junior synonym of Flabellinidae Bergh, 1889)
Superfamily Flabellinopsoidea Korshunova et al., 2017
- Family Flabellinopsidae Korshunova et al., 2017
- Family Hantazuidae Korshunova, Fletcher & Martynov, 2025
Superfamily Notaeolidioidea Eliot, 1910
- Family Notaeolidiidae Eliot, 1910
Superfamily Samloidea Korshunova et al., 2017
- Family Samlidae Korshunova et al. 2017
Superfamily Unidentioidea Millen and Hermosillo, 2012
- Family ?Unidentiidae Millen and Hermosillo, 2012 (proposed junior synonym of Piseinotecidae Edmunds, 1970)
Superfamily incertae sedis
- Family Piseinotecidae Edmunds, 1970

References

↑ Odhner, N. H. (1934). "The Nudibranchiata". British Antarctic ('Terra Nova') Expedition, 1910. British Museum (Natural History) Natural History Report, Zoology. 7 (5): 229–310.
1 2 Korshunova, 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) zlaf057. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf057. ISSN 0024-4082.
1 2 3 4 5 Ekimova, Irina; Carmona, Leila; Mikhlina, Anna L.; Grishina, Darya; Stanovova, Maria V.; Schepetov, Dimitry M.; Hoover, Craig; Souza-Canal, Jade de; Kuznetsov, Karen O.; Valdés, Ángel (2026-05-20). "Neither "lumpers" nor "splitters": A global revision of Flabellinidae s.l. nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Nudibranchia)". PLOS ONE. 21 (5) e0347759. Bibcode:2026PLoSO..2147759E. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0347759. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 13189321. PMID 42160278.

Goodheart, Jessica A.; Bleidißel, Sabrina; Schillo, Dorothee; Strong, Ellen E.; Ayres, Daniel L.; Preisfeld, Angelika; Collins, Allen G.; Cummings, Michael P.; Wägele, Heike (2018-11-13). "Comparative morphology and evolution of the cnidosac in Cladobranchia (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Nudibranchia)". Frontiers in Zoology. 15 (1): 43. doi:10.1186/s12983-018-0289-2. ISSN 1742-9994. PMC 6234619. PMID 30473719.

Korshunova, Tatiana; Martynov, Alexander; Picton, Bernard (2017-09-26). "Ontogeny as an important part of integrative taxonomy in tergipedid aeolidaceans (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) with a description of a new genus and species from the Barents Sea". Zootaxa. 4324 (1): 1–22. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4324.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.

Korshunova, Tatiana; Martynov, Alexander; Bakken, Torkild; Evertsen, Jussi; Fletcher, Karin; Mudianta, I. Wayan; Saito, Hirorshi; Lundin, Kennet; Schrödl, Michael; Picton, Bernard (2017-11-30). "Polyphyly of the traditional family Flabellinidae affects a major group of Nudibranchia: aeolidacean taxonomic reassessment with descriptions of several new families, genera, and species (Mollusca, Gastropoda)". ZooKeys (717): 1–139. Bibcode:2017ZooK..717....1K. doi:10.3897/zookeys.717.21885. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 5784208. PMID 29391848.

Martynov, Alexander; Lundin, Kennet; Picton, Bernard; Fletcher, Karin; Malmberg, Klas; Korshunova, Tatiana (2020-01-15). "Multiple paedomorphic lineages of soft-substrate burrowing invertebrates: parallels in the origin of Xenocratena and Xenoturbella". PLOS ONE. 15 (1) e0227173. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1527173M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0227173. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6961895. PMID 31940379.

Karmeinski, Dario; Meusemann, Karen; Goodheart, Jessica A.; Schroedl, Michael; Martynov, Alexander; Korshunova, Tatiana; Wägele, Heike; Donath, Alexander (2021-12-28). "Transcriptomics provides a robust framework for the relationships of the major clades of cladobranch sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia), but fails to resolve the position of the enigmatic genus Embletonia". BMC Ecology and Evolution. 21 (1): 226. doi:10.1186/s12862-021-01944-0. ISSN 2730-7182. PMC 8895541. PMID 34963462.

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[Odhner1934-1] Odhner, N. H. (1934). "The Nudibranchiata". British Antarctic ('Terra Nova') Expedition, 1910. British Museum (Natural History) Natural History Report, Zoology. 7 (5): 229–310.

[Korshunova&2025-2] 1 2 Korshunova, 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) zlaf057. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf057. ISSN 0024-4082.

[Ekimova&2026-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Ekimova, Irina; Carmona, Leila; Mikhlina, Anna L.; Grishina, Darya; Stanovova, Maria V.; Schepetov, Dimitry M.; Hoover, Craig; Souza-Canal, Jade de; Kuznetsov, Karen O.; Valdés, Ángel (2026-05-20). "Neither "lumpers" nor "splitters": A global revision of Flabellinidae s.l. nudibranchs (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Nudibranchia)". PLOS ONE. 21 (5) e0347759. Bibcode:2026PLoSO..2147759E. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0347759. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 13189321. PMID 42160278.

Aeolidacea

Taxonomy

References

Further reading