Trinchesia is a genus of sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Trinchesiidae.Brown, G.H. (1980). "The British species of the aeolidiacean family Tergipedidae (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) with a discussion of the genera." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 69: 225-255. - note: Supports treatment of Trinchesia as a synonym of Cuthona until definitive characters are establishedMolluscaBase eds. (2026). MolluscaBase. Tenellia A. Costa, 1866. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138545 on 2026-03-04 All species were transferred to Tenellia as a result of a DNA phylogeny study in 2016.Cella, K; Carmona Barnosi, L.; Ekimova, I; Chichvarkhin, A; Schepetov, D; Gosliner, T. M. (2016). "A radical solution: The phylogeny of the nudibranch family Fionidae." PLoS ONE. 11(12): e0167800. The genus was dismembered and broken into several smaller genera in 2017 with further DNA evidence and a re-interpretation of genus and family characteristics.Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A.; Picton, B. (2017). 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.
In yet another study, Korshunova et al., 2025 conducted a mass reassessment of Aeolidacea taxa and proposed to reverse previous motions that "lumped" taxa together indiscriminately. Korshunova T.; Fletcher K.; Martynov A. (2025). 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, Volume 204, Issue 4, August 2025, zlaf057, While The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) has cited Korshunova et al., 2025 across other taxonomic adjustments, in regards to Trinchesiidae, who is possibly the most controversed Aeolidean family with papers being published nearly every year from opposing camps, there has yet to be adjustments.
Trinchesia species feed on hydroids.
Species According to Korshunova et al. (2025), it is noted that many species listed herein do not align with Trinchesia diagnostics, and belong truly to genera that have yet to be established.
Species currently included Trinchesia sensu strictissimo according to Korshunova et al. (2025):Korshunova, T., Picton, B., Furfaro, G. et al. Multilevel fine-scale diversity challenges the ‘cryptic species’ concept. Sci Rep 9, 6732 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42297-5 on 2026-03-02 Trinchesia caerulea (Montagu, 1804) - type species of Trinchesia Trinchesia cuanensis (Korshunova, Picton, Furfaro, Mariottini, Pontes, Prkić, Fletcher, Malmberg, Lundin & Martynov, 2019) Trinchesia diljuvia (Korshunova, Picton, Furfaro, Mariottini, Pontes, Prkić, Fletcher, Malmberg, Lundin & Martynov, 2019) Trinchesia morrowae (Korshunova, Picton, Furfaro, Mariottini, Pontes, Prkić, Fletcher, Malmberg, Lundin & Martynov, 2019)
Species currently included in Trinchesia sensu latissimo according to Korshunova et al. (2025): Trinchesia acinosa (Risbec, 1928) Trinchesia adyarensis (Rao, 1928) Trinchesia akibai (Baba, 1984) Trinchesia albocrusta (MacFarland, 1966) - white-crusted aeolid Trinchesia albopunctata Schmekel, 1968 Trinchesia anandalei (Eliot, 1910) Trinchesia anulata (Baba, 1949) Trinchesia barbadiana (Edmunds & Just, 1983) Trinchesia beta (Baba & Abe, 1964) Trinchesia boma (Edmunds, 1970) Trinchesia bughaw (Kim & Gosliner, 2024) Trinchesia catachroma (Burn, 1963) Trinchesia correai (Ortea, Caballer, and Moro, 2002) Trinchesia diminutiva (Gosliner, 1980) Trinchesia divanica Martynov, 2002 Trinchesia diversicolor (Baba, 1975) Trinchesia fidenciae (Ortea et al., 1999) Trinchesia foliata (Forbes & Goodsir, 1839) Trinchesia futairo Baba, 1963 Trinchesia genovae O'Donoghue, 1926 Trinchesia granosa Schmekel, 1966 Trinchesia hamanni Behrens, 1987 Trinchesia henrici Eliot, 1916 Trinchesia herrerai Ortea et al., 2002 Trinchesia hiranorum (Martynov, Sanamyan & Korshunova, 2015) Trinchesia ilonae (Schmekel, 1968) Trinchesia iris Edmunds & Just, 1983 Trinchesia ivetteae (Gosliner & Bertsch, 2017) Trinchesia kanga (Edmunds, 1970) Trinchesia kuiterorum (Rudman, 1981) Trinchesia lenkae Martynov, 2002 Trinchesia leopardina (Vassiere, 1888 Trinchesia longi Behrens, 1985 Trinchesia macquariensis Burn, 1973 Trinchesia millenae Hermosillo & Valdes, 2007 Trinchesia mimar Ortea and Moro, 2018 Trinchesia miniostriata Schmekel, 1968 Trinchesia momella (Edmunds, 1970) Trinchesia nakapila Kim & Gosliner, 2024 Trinchesia nigricolora Baba,1955 Trinchesia ocellata Schmekel, 1966 Trinchesia odhneri Er. Marcus, 1958 Trinchesia ornata (Baba, 1937) Trinchesia pallida (Eliot, 1906) - Not to be confused with Tenellia pallida (Alder & Hancock, 1845), synonym of Tenellia adspersa(von Nordmann, 1845) Trinchesia pinnifera Baba, 1949 Trinchesia puellula Baba, 1955 Trinchesia pupillae (Baba, 1961) Trinchesia pumilio Bergh, 1871 Trinchesia pusilla Bergh, 1898 Trinchesia puti Kim & Gosliner, 2024 Trinchesia reflexa (Miller, 1977) Trinchesia riosi Hermosillo & Valdes, 2008 Trinchesia rubrata (Edmunds, 1970) Trinchesia sibogae Bergh, 1905 - This taxon has been confused with Phestilla sibogae Bergh, 1905 in the past. The two are unique taxa and should never be treated as synonyms. Trinchesia signifera Baba, 1961 Trinchesia sororum Burn, 1964 Trinchesia speciosa (Macnae, 1954) - candy nudibranch Trinchesia taita Edmunds, 1970 Trinchesia thompsoni Garcia et al., 1991 Trinchesia tina Er. Marcus, 1957 Trinchesia valentini Eliot, 1907 Trinchesia vermifera Verrill, 1871 Trinchesia virens (MacFarland, 1966) Trinchesia viridiana (Burn, 1962) Trinchesia willani (Cervera et al., 1992) Trinchesia yamasui (Hamatani, 1993) Trinchesia zelandica (Odhner, 1924)
Species formerly in the genus Trinchesia:
Trinchesia alpha (Baba & Hamatani, 1963): synonym of Catriona alpha Trinchesia colmani (Burn, 1961): synonym of Narraeolida colmani Trinchesia midori Martynov, Sanamyan & Korshunova, 2015: synonym of Diaphoreolis midori Trinchesia pustulata (Alder & Hancock, 1854): synonym of Zelentia pustulata Trinchesia scintillans (M. C. Miller, 1977): synonym of Diaphoreolis scintillans Trinchesia thelmae (Burn, 1964): synonym of Toorna thelmae Trinchesia viridis (Forbes, 1840) synonym of Diaphoreolis viridis
References