Gymnodoris aurita (Gould, 1852)

Doris aurita Gould, 1852: 299, pl. 23, fig. 394. Type locality: “Sandalwood Bay, Feejee Islands” [= Bua Bay, Vanua Levu, Fiji].

Phylogenetic position. Gymnodoris aurita is the most basal member of a clade (PP: 0.95, MLB: 97) including several undescribed species: Gymnodoris cf. alba, Gymnodoris sp. 23, Gymnodoris sp. 31, Gymnodoris sp. W, Gymnodoris sp. X, Gymnodoris sp. Y, and Gymnodoris bricei sp. nov. (Fig. 1A). The relationships between this clade and other Gymnodoris clades is unresolved (Fig. 1A).

Remarks. Doris aurita was originally described by Gould (1852) from Fiji as a bright crimson species, with small, scattered tubercles, resembling pustules; rhinophores, gill, and mantle margin sulphur-yellow.This description matches the current usage of the name in the binomen G. aurita (Wells & Bryce, 1993; Hervé, 2010; Nakano, 2018; Gosliner et al., 2018). While no material of G. aurita was examined for the present study, the species was reported from the Reef of the Sarcelle, New Caledonia, by Hervé (2010) and therefore listed herein.