Doris cardinalis Gould, 1852

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 : 730

Doris cardinalis Gould, 1852 (Fig. 26K)

Description notes Description based on external morphology only: size 150 mm; body large, oval when extended; color mottled yellowish and red, somewhat violaceous in the transverse depressions; a few purple blotches on the notum; mantle extension wider on sides, narrower posteriorly, differentiated anteriorly; mantle extension deep red, margin thin, white; rhinophores red; six rose-red dendritic gill leaves; two-lobed oral tentacles.

Own conclusion/opinion on its taxonomic status Gould (1852) stated that this species from Hawaii is an intermediate form between Doris sumptuosa and D. superba and quite similar to “ D. sandwichiensis ” but with distinct gill leaves, oral tentacles, and color underneath the mantle. Based on the illustration, we believe that this species is probably H. sandwichensis . The mottling in the center of the notum, lateral to the depression, and on the underside are typical for this species. The diffuse margins of the depression are also consistent. The penciled dark spots on the notum resemble the scattered darker patches that are often present in H. sandwichensis . The marginal white line is too narrow for H. aureomarginatus , whereas a narrow white line is often noted in H. sandwichensis . The well-defined red band underneath the margin is typical of H. sandwichensis . Therefore, we consider Hexabranchus cardinalis (Gould, 1852) , a junior synonym of H. sandwichensis .