Tambja kushimotoensis from Taiwan
July 24, 2003
From: Todd Garthwaite
Hi Bill,
Here are several shots of two different specimens of what Ono Atsushi identifies in his book, Opisthobranchs of Kerama Islands, as being Tambja kushimotoensis Baba, 1987. However, this type is listed on SSF's Species List as Tambja morosa. Either way, this species is a rather exotic find for the N.E. Coast of Taiwan. In addition to these 2 specimens, not far away I also came across a juvenile specimen of the same species. Incidentally, this dive site is rich in lemon calcite sponges (Leucetta lemon).
Site: "The 2nd Wall", FanZai Ao [Barbarian Cove]
(N.E. Coast, Taipei County, Taiwan),
13 July 2003, 10:48am
Depth: 22.5 meters. Water temp.: 27 deg. Celsius. Size: approximately 60+ mm.
Stay golden.
Peace, love, & nudis
Todd Garthwaite
typhoontoddy@yahoo.com
Garthwaite, T., 2003 (Jul 24) Tambja kushimotoensis from Taiwan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10503Dear Todd,
Thanks for these photos. I think they help to resolve my feelings about colour variation in Tambja morosa. Baba's T. kushimotoensis was described as green with colour markings much as in your photos, except that he mentioned a few scattered bright blue spots, much as in the animal from New Zealand I have identified as T. morosa. Marshall & Willan (1998) suggest that T. morosa can be distinguished by its black background and bright blue lines while T. kushimotoensis has a green background with blue spots, but the photos on the Forum suggest there is a continuum in background colour from green to black and in blue spots and lines. Your photos certainly show the background colour can vary from black to green in one animal.
In your message about T. sagamiana I noted the interesting sensory patch on the head which could be seen in one of your photos. This is also very clear in your photos of T. morosa so I have posted close-ups in a separate message.
• Baba, K. (1987) Two new green colored species of Tambja from Japan (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae). Venus, The Japanese Journal of Malacology, 46(1): 13-18.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
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