Meeting Abstract
Tritoniidae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) is a family of sea slugs known to feed on octocorals, including soft corals, gorgonians, and sea pens. The evolutionary relationships of the family have a murky history due to the lack of a fossil record. However, stomach plates are deemed to have high systematic value and have been used as one of the diagnostic characters when differentiating between the two largest genera, Marionia and Tritonia. Stomach plates are hypothesized to aid in the mechanical destruction of sclerites and may be indicative of certain prey items. A phylogenetic analysis of the family using two nuclear (H3 and 28S) and two mitochondrial (16S and COI) markers in conjunction with expansive taxon sampling allows for a focused approach in determining the origin and evolution of stomach plates and whether Tritoniids with stomach plates form a monophyletic clade. Looking at stomach plates may provide insight that ties into food source and a potential prey shift as well as the overall evolution of prey specificity.
