The Opisthobranch Gastropod Fauna of the Galápagos Islands

Abstract

The opisthobranch gastropod fauna of the Galápagos Islands has been relatively poorly studied. In her review of the marine molluscan fauna of the tropical eastern Pacific, Keen (1971) listed 11 species of shelled opisthobranchs from the Archipelago. Sphon and Mulliner (1972) recorded 10 more species of opisthobranchs and later (Mulliner and Sphon, 1974) described a new species of dorid nudibranch from the Galápagos. Bertsch and Ferreira (1974) and Farmer (1978) each recorded one additional species. Since then, little work has been undertaken on the opisthobranchs inhabiting the archipelago. Thirty-three opisthobranch species are presently known from the Galápagos, a number which will increase when undescribed material in hand is formally described and as additional field work is conducted in the islands.