Felimida


Felimida is a genus of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Chromodorididae.

Taxonomic history

Many of the species currently included in the genus Felimida were previously contained in the large genus Chromodoris until a revision of the family Chromodorididae demonstrated that the name Chromodoris should be used for a smaller group of species.
When Eveline [Du Bois-Reymond Marcus] introduced the genus in 1971, her rationale was: "As it is desirable to subdivide the numerous species of the genus Chromodoris, I allot the present material to the new genus Felimida, based upon the denticulation of the radular teeth. There are no species of Chromodoris known to have denticles on the inner side of the lateral teeth 2-4."

Etymology

Felimida was first described by Marcus, when she proposed F. sphoni as the genus' type species as well as introduced the similar species Doris tanya. F. sphoni is named for malacologist Gale Sphon, who sent Marcus specimens of the species while working for the Natural [History Museum of Los Angeles County|Los Angeles County Museum]. D. tanya is named after Tanya, Sphon's cat, and the genus name Felimida allegedly refers to the Latin word for cat.

Description

Marcus characterized Felimida as "Chromodoridids with unicuspidate lateral teeth, with many denticles on the outer side, and with denticles on the inner side of laterals 1-4."

Species