Minor notodoris (Notodoris minor)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Mollusca · Class: Gastropoda · Order: Nudibranchia · Family: Aegiridae · Genus: Notodoris.

Accepted name: Notodoris minor · Authority: Eliot, 1904 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 531090.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Aegires minor (Eliot, 1904).

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=531090 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Notodoris minor. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 9 cm · Habitat zone: benthic · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

SeaLifeBase notes: Assumed maximum length from Ref. 844. Feeds on sponges (Ref. 844).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 87201) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Notodoris-minor.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

411 georeferenced occurrence records for Notodoris minor are published through GBIF from 18 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 78 distinct locations from a sample of 411 records, omitting 23 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Australia (124); Indonesia (66); Philippines (45); Papua New Guinea (44); Solomon Islands (38); Vanuatu (24); Malaysia (18); Réunion (15); Kenya (11); Micronesia (Federated States of) (7); Mauritius (4); Palau (4); Tanzania, United Republic of (4); Cocos (Keeling) Islands (3); Fiji (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2292163) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2292163&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=531090 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

This species was known as Notodoris minor, but a 2004 paper considered Notodoris to be a junior synonym of the genus Aegires. This decision was reversed in 2015.

Notodoris minor can grow to 14 cm in length. The skin is toughened with tiny spicules. The upper surfaces have a few irregular pustules, while the small rhinophores are smooth and simple. The branched gills are located midway along the body and are partially hidden by three large lobes. The Notodoris minor has a yellow background colour and a pattern of diagonal and transverse black lines arranged in a network covering the entire body. The gills and rhinophores are yellow, but in younger specimens and with some adults, there may be some black pigmentation.

Notodoris minor lives in the Indo-west Pacific area. It has been found in the Philippines, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Mauritius, Tanzania, Oman, Indonesia, Okinawa, Papua New Guinea, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Notodoris minor feeds on calcareous sponges belonging to the family Leucettidae. In the Indo-West Pacific, specimens have been recorded eating Leucetta primigenia.

Source: Wikipedia: Notodoris minor — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notodoris_minor (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.