Hexabranchus imperialis (Saville-Kent, 1897)

Tibiriçá, Yara, Pola, Marta, Pittman, Cory, Gosliner, Terrence M., Malaquias, Manuel A. & Cervera, Juan Lucas, 2023, A Spanish dancer? No! A troupe of dancers: a review of the family Hexabranchidae Bergh, 1891 (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia), Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 23 (4), pp. 697-742 : 733

Hexabranchus imperialis (Saville-Kent, 1897) (Fig. 26T)

Description notes Very brief text description of a living specimen with illustration: size approximately 250 mm; body oval, depressed; color predominantly red with a whitedecorated marginal band.

Own conclusion/opinion on its taxonomic status The description lacks details of both internal and external morphology. The general shape, coloration, and illustration provided resemble the genus Hexabranchus , but the rhinophores and gill branches are inconsistent. Nevertheless, it was transferred to the genus Hexabranchus by Basedow and Hedlet (1905). The wide marginal band with radiating folds can occur in H. lacer . The laterally placed, round dark blotches are suggestive of the disjunct round patches common in H. sanguineus . The lateral band margins and lateral patches seem ambiguous. This species cannot be assigned conclusively to either species. So, it should be considered a nomen dubium.