DELA CALZADA, D.D.*; GOSLINER, Dr. T.M.; California Academy of Science; California Academy of Science: Systematic Phylogeny of the Nudibranch Genus Godiva (Macnae, 1954)

The systematics and phylogeny of the genus Godiva (Macnae, 1954) are re-examined and revised. Several preserved specimens were examined and comparisons were made with the original descriptions. The reproductive and radular morphology were studied in detail under the SEM and variation and similarity in character traits supported previous literature descriptions of the species G. quadricolor (Barnard,1927) and G. rachelae (Rudman, 1980). Specimens previously identified as Godiva quadricolor (Barnard,1927) from Hawaii were re-evaluated and new anatomical characters were examined which suggest it to be a new species. Four other species (2 from Papua New Guinea, 1 from Okinawa and 1 from Indonesia) also represent undescribed species and are currently being investigated. Two of these represent species of Godiva while the other two are sister taxa to Godiva. Morphological and anatomical data collected from Godiva (Macnae, 1954) species were used to construct a preliminary phylogeny. The two species from Papua New Guinea share unique characteristics of the head and oral tentacles, but differ from each other and from species of Godiva in several aspects of their anatomy. The Okinawa and Indonesian species are properly placed in Godiva and probably represent new species.