30. Aplysia brasiliana Rang, 1828 (Figure 2 J) Material examined. YL, 1 spc., H = 25 mm, ZMBN 84911, 1 spc., H = 45 mm, ZMBN 84910. 3 spcs, H = 20–60 mm, ZMBN 84914. CMM,>50 spcs, H = 70–106 mm, NRC. ECU,>50 spcs, H = 25–186 mm, MCC. Ecology. On seagrass or rocky-sandy bottoms (1 m deep). This species release a purple fluid when disturbed. Distribution. ABC Islands, Bermuda, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Mexico, USA, Venezuela (Valdés et al. 2006; Rios 2009; Miloslavich et al. 2010; Rosenberg 2009: as A. fasciata; Yidi & Sarmiento 2011: as A. fasciata. Puerto Viejo, Camuri Grande, Taguao, Las Salinas (Vargas), Mochima Bay, Isla Caribe (Sucre) & Cubagua island (Nueva Esparta): Rivero et al. 2003. La Restinga, Margarita: Grune et al. 2015). Remarks. Rosenberg (2009) and Yidi & Sarmiento (2011) considered A. brasiliana a junior synonym of Aplysia fasciata Poiret, 1789. This is not surprising since there is much confusion surrounding the systematics of the genus Aplysia with names being often used arbitrarily. Only an integrated taxonomic approach combining both morphological, anatomical, and DNA characters across the entire geographical range of species could end the uncertainties surrounding the systematics of Aplysia. Meanwhile we consider that there are characters enough to distinguish both species, of which, only A. brasiliana can be found in the Caribbean.

Published as part of Gutiérrez, Manuel Caballer, Ortea, Jesús, Rivero, Nelsy, Tucker, Gabriela Carias, Malaquias, Manuel António E. & Narciso, Samuel, 2015, The opisthobranch gastropods (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) from Venezuela: an annotated and illustrated inventory of species, pp. 201-256 in Zootaxa 4034 (2) on page 217, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4034.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/242115