Pacifia, Korshunova, Tatiana, Martynov, Alexander, Bakken, Torkild, Evertsen, Jussi, Fletcher, Karin, Mudianta, I Wayan, Saito, Hiroshi, Lundin, Kennet, Michael Schroedl, & Picton, Bernard, 2017

Korshunova, Tatiana, Martynov, Alexander, Bakken, Torkild, Evertsen, Jussi, Fletcher, Karin, Mudianta, I Wayan, Saito, Hiroshi, Lundin, Kennet, Michael Schroedl, & Picton, Bernard, 2017, Polyphyly of the traditional family Flabellinidae affects a major group of Nudibranchia: aeolidacean taxonomic reassessment with descriptions of several new families, genera, and species (Mollusca, Gastropoda), ZooKeys 717, pp. 1-139 : 51

Pacifia gen. n.

Type species.

Pacifia amica sp. n.

Etymology.

After the Pacific Ocean and also in reference to another meaning of the word “pacific” = “peaceful” and " amica " = “friend”, “friendly” because this paper represents a friendship-based collaboration between American, British, German, Japanese, Indonesian, Norwegian, Russian, and Swedish colleagues, as opposed to recent antagonistic political relationships.

Diagnosis.

Body narrow. Notum fully reduced. Cerata on elevations. Rhinophores smooth. Anterior foot corners present. Anus pleuroproctic. Rachidian teeth with narrow non-compressed cusp covers with small denticles; lateral denticles distinct. Lateral teeth absent. Proximal and distal receptaculum seminis. Moderately long vas deferens with thickened non-granulated prostate. No external penial collar. Penis conical, unarmed. Adjacent penial gland may be present.

Species included.

Pacifia amica sp. n., P. goddardi (Gosliner, 2010), comb. n.

Remarks.

From Unidentia , the only currently known genus of the family Unidentiidae , Pacifia gen. n. is readily distinguished by the presence of a distal receptaculum seminis, absence of the penial stylet and considerable molecular distance. Despite differing in some morphological characteristics from P. amica sp. n. (including the presence in F. goddardi Gosliner, 2010 of distinct ceratal elevations and an accessory gland near the penis, and also by the absence of distinct denticles on the cusp of the rachidian teeth throughout the whole radula) Flabellina goddardi Gosliner, 2010, forms a sister molecular clade to Pacifia amica sp. n. and also shares with the latter the presence of a distal stalked receptaculum seminis. We therefore include F. goddardi in the new genus Pacifia as a new combination Pacifia goddardi (Gosliner, 2010), comb. n. Presence of an accessory gland near the penis in P. goddardi needs in further confirmation.