According to the web page found at http://www.urgdiveclub.org.au/scientific-names-do-change/ , “two-part scientific names contain a hierarchy which can change if an organism is re-classified”.

I wrote about this topic in my article titled “Changes to Seastar Names” at https://mlssa.org.au/2010/10/07/changes-to-seastar-names/ .

It can be difficult for ‘hobbyists’ such as ourselves to keep up with the changes for projects such as our Photo Index. It recently came to my attention, thanks to Society member Jeff Bowey, that the red-netted nudibranch previously known as Chromodoris tinctoria is now known as Goniobranchus tinctorius.

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Goniobranchus tinctorius

(Taken by David Muirhead)

I ‘Googled’ the names to find out more. The web page found at http://www.nudibranch.com.au/pages/5946.htm indicated that Chromodoris tinctoria is now known as Goniobranchus tinctorius.

This is confirmed by Wikpedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goniobranchus_tinctorius and also by WoRMS at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=597374 .

2012

Goniobranchus tinctorius

(Taken by David Muirhead)

We keep an Excel spreadsheet for the data for our Photo Index. We have three images of Goniobranchus tinctorius in the Index and the spreadsheet had to be updated to show the new name being used instead of Chromodoris tinctoria.

These details now need to be transferred to the online version of our Photo Index.

By Steve Reynolds

Steve Reynolds is the current President of MLSSA and is a long-standing member of the Society. Steve was a keen diver, underwater explorer & photographer before illness struck. He is chief author of the Society's extensive back catalogue of newsletters and journals.

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