SUPRA-SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIPS. Here, two questions are discussed: 1) the generic affinities proposed for ''millegrana'', and 2) the valid name of the clade it belongs to, knowing that ''millegrana'' is the type species of the genus name ''Aporodoris'' von lhering 1886, by original designation. Bergh (1878a) re-allocated ''millegrana'' to ''Archidoris'' and then (Bergh 1894) to ''Thordisa'' with no explanation. Von lhering (1886) created a new generic name for ''millegrana'', ''Aporodoris''. The genus name ''Aporodoris'' was then used to describe several new species: ''Aporodoris rubra'' Bergh, 1905; ''Aporodoris risbeci'' Marcus and Marcus, 1967; and ''Aporodoris merria'' Burn, 1973. Thompson and Brown (1981) decided to re-allocate ''millegrana'' to ''Discodoris'' (Thompson classified all basal discodorids in ''Discodoris''). Then, more recently, Valdes and Gosliner (2001) rightly argued that ''Aporodoris'' von lhering, 1886, and ''Taringa'' Marcus, 1955, are two synonyms, and that ''millegrana'' belongs to ''Taringa'' species (as shown in the present phylogenetic analysis).

The next question is: Which name should we use for that clade, ''Taringa'' or ''Aporodoris''? The older name, ''Aporodoris'', should have priority over the younger name, ''Taringa''. Valdes and Gosliner (2001) argued that in this case, however, the ICZN Article 23.9 (not 23.9.2) applies and that the younger name should be regarded as valid. However, Article 23.9 actually does not apply here. According to Article 23.9, prevailing usage can be maintained only if two conditions are met (described in 23.9.1), one of which (23.9.1.1) is that the senior synonym must not have been used as a valid name after 1899. Although Valdes and Gosliner (2001) thought that ''Aporodoris'' had not been used as a valid name since 1899, three new species names were created in ''Aporodoris'' since 1899 (see above), and several authors used the binomial ''Aporodoris millegrana'' as valid (Eliot 1910b; Pruvot-Fol 1954a; Bouchet and Tardy 1976). Therefore ''Aporodoris'' is a valid name, regardless of whether ''Taringa'' has been widely used or not.