Tambja zulu
Pola, Cervera & Gosliner, 2005
Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Polyceridae
Subfamily: Nembrothinae
DISTRIBUTION
Known only from Indian Ocean coast of South Africa.
PHOTO
Hibberdene, South coast KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 20 m. 35 mm long Jan 1999. Photo: Valda Fraser
The background colour of the body is dark blue or black and there are a pattern of thin yellow longitudinal lines. One of these lines forms a border to the mantle around the anterior part of head, and down each side to join behind the gills in the posterior midline. Another pair of longitudinal lines, border the rhinophoral pockets and then run back to finish at the outside edge of the gill pocket. Between these two lines on each side is a shorter line running from about halfway between the gills and the rhinophores, back to the gills. A similar line runs down each side of the foot joining above the mouth anteriorly, and in the posterior midline, posteriorly.
The oral tentacles, rhinophores and rhinophoral sheaths are dark blue or black, but the edge of the rhinophore pocket is edged in yellow. There are five non-retractile tripinnate gills forming a semicircle . They are black with a narrow yellow line up both the outer and inner sides of the rachis. The only information we have on the size of this species is Valda Fraser's photo here of a 35 mm long specimen.
Note: This species was previously known on the Forum as Tambja sp. 3.
-
Gosliner, T. (1987) Nudibranchs of Southern Africa.
-
Pola, M., Cervera, J.L. & Gosliner, T. (2005) Four new species of Tambja Burn, 1962 (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae) from the Indo-Pacific. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 71: 257-267
Rudman, W.B., 2005 (August 15) Tambja zulu Pola, Cervera & Gosliner, 2005. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/tambzulu
