Records of Sea Slug Fauna (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) from the shores of Goa, Eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract

Heterobranch sea slugs are a group of often vibrantly coloured, shell-less, and soft-bodied molluscs which are also indicators of climate change and a source of natural products.The information on sea slug diversity and distribution from India is scarce with only 611 species reported so far.Our study aims to bridge the gap in the information on sea slug diversity and distribution from the highly understudied state of Goa.In this study, conducted for 3 years from 2016 to 2018, we report distributional records of 15 species belonging to 14 families of heterobranch sea slugs from Goa, including a neotype sample of Dendrodoris goani which has been re-sighted and reported after almost half a century, Hallaxa cf.albopunctata is a new record from India, and Phyllidia marindica is a new record from West coast of India.The purpose of this study is to amalgamate data on sea slug diversity and distribution across the state of Goa.This information will aid in further study of the distribution patterns of this group of animals in changing climatic conditions and aid in identifying ecologically sensitive areas for designing better management plans.