Histological study of Goniodoris castanea Alder and Hancock, 1845 (Nudibranchia, Doridoidea, Goniodorididae)

The major organ systems of Goniodoris castanea were investigated by histological means, with an emphasis on those structures that are difficult to see by dissection. The species is characterized by some peculiar features that are unique or seldom within the Nudibranchia, such as the complete absence of specialized vacuolated cells, the presence of globular salivary glands, the presence of cuticular structures in the proximal intestine, a muscular sphincter around the distal vaginal duct, and the position of the blood gland closer to the pericardium than to the nervous system. Some of these characters are discussed in a phylogenetic context, although a thorough phylogenetic analysis is preliminary, due to lack of knowledge of probably related species.