Pleurolidiidae

Pleurolidiidae
From left to right: Pleurolidia juliae , and Protaeolidiella atra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Nudibranchia
Suborder:	Aeolidacea
Superfamily:	Aeolidioidea
Family:	Pleurolidiidae Burn, 1966
Genera
See Genera and species

Pleurolidiidae is a family of nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod molluscs or sea slugs, within the superfamily Aeolidioidea.

Genera and species

According to Korshunova and colleagues (2025), the following genera and species are recognised in the family Pleurolidiidae: ^{[1] [2]}

• Pleurolidia Burn, 1966
  • Pleurolidia juliae Burn, 1966
• Protaeolidiella Baba, 1955
  • Protaeolidiella atra Baba, 1955

Pleurolidia juliae and Protaeolidiella atra are sister species according to DNA evidence and are poorly supported as members of the polyphyletic Facelinidae, being placed in their own family, Pleurolidiidae. ^[3] A revision of the relationships of members of Aeolidacea, which includes Facelinidae, recovered similar results. ^[1]

References

1. 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). doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf057. ISSN   0024-4082.
2. Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Pleurolidiidae. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2015-12-14
3. Carmona, Leila; Pola, Marta; Gosliner, Terrence M.; Cervera, Juan Lucas (January 2015). "Protaeolidiella atra Baba, 1955 versus Pleurolidia juliae Burn, 1966: One or two species?". Helgoland Marine Research. doi: 10.1007/s10152-014-0422-3 .