Phestilla is a genus of sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Trinchesiidae.
Its members are unusual in feeding on hard corals, unlike other members of the family Trinchesiidae which feed on hydroids. Adult Phestilla have no cnidosacs. This genus has been investigated using DNA phylogeny and undescribed species exist.Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A.; Picton, B. (2017). Ontogeny as an important part of integrative taxonomy in tergipedid aeolidaceans (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) with a description of a new genus and species from the Barents Sea. Zootaxa. 4324(1): 1.Rudman, W.B., 2000 (January 29) Phestilla sp. 1. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.
Species Species within the genus Phestilla include:Bouchet, P.; Picton, B. (2025). Phestilla Bergh, 1874. In: MolluscaBase (2026). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2026-03-07.
Phestilla arnoldi Mehrotra & Caballer, 2024 Phestilla chaetopterana Ekimova, Deart & Schepetov, 2017 Phestilla fuscostriata Hu, Zhang, Xie & Qiu, 2020 Phestilla goniophaga Hu, Zhang, Yiu, Xie & Qui, 2020 Phestilla lugubris Bergh, 1870 Phestilla melanobrachia Bergh, 1874 Phestilla minor Rudman, 1981 Phestilla panamica Rudman, 1982 Phestilla poritophages Rudman, 1979 Phestilla sibogae Bergh, 1905Faucci, A., Robert J. Toonen, & Michael G. Hadfield, (2007). Host shift and speciation in a coralfeeding nudibranch. Proceedings of the Royal Society, B Biological Sciences 274(1606):111-119. Phestilla subodiosa A. Wang, Conti-Jerpe, J. L. Richards & D. M. Baker, 2020 Phestilla viei Mehrotra, Caballer & Chavanich in Mehrotra, Arnold, Wang, Chavanich, Hoeksema & Caballer, 2020
Species names currently considered to be synonyms: Phestilla hakunamatata Ortea, Caballer & Espinosa, 2003: synonym of Hermosita hakunamatata Phestilla subodiosus A. Wang, Conti-Jerpe, J. L. Richards & D. M. Baker, 2020 : synonym of Phestilla subodiosa (incorrect gender agreement of specific epithet)
References
External links
Nudipixel page for the genus Bergh, L. S. R. (1874). Neue Nacktschnecken der Südsee, malacologische Untersuchungen II. Journal des Museum Godeffroy. 2(6): 91-116 Bieler, R. & R. E. Petit, 2012. Molluscan taxa in the publications of the Museum Godeffroy of Hamburg, with a discussion of the Godeffroy Sales Catalogs (1864–1884), the Journal des Museum Godeffroy (1873–1910), and a history of the museum. Zootaxa, 3511: 1-80 Cella, K; Carmona Barnosi, L.; Ekimova, I; Chichvarkhin, A; Schepetov, D; Gosliner, T. M. (2016). A radical solution: The phylogeny of the nudibranch family Fionidae. PLoS ONE. 11(12): e0167800 Korshunova, T.; Martynov, A.; Picton, B. (2017). Ontogeny as an important part of integrative taxonomy in tergipedid aeolidaceans (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) with a description of a new genus and species from the Barents Sea. Zootaxa. 4324(1): 1