Head & sensory organs of Tambja morosa

July 24, 2003
From: Bill Rudman


In Todd Garthwaite's recent messages concerning Tambja sagamiana and T. morosa from Taiwan, the characteristic 'sensory pits' on the side of the head are very well illustrated so I have posted here close-ups from his photos of T. morosa.

In the upper photo, below the rhinophore there is a long black ridged structure. Usually all we see is a dark line, or groove along the side of the head, and so it is often overlooked as another of the many longitudinal ridges found on the body of these nudibranchs. In preserved specimens it is even more difficult to see. In the middle photo the sensory organ is 'half open' and in the lower photo it is fully 'everted' to show its structure of compound ridges.

The function of this organ has, to my knowledge, not been investigated, but it is heavily innervated, so I have little doubt that it has a chemosensory function, used by the animal to locate colonies of its bryozoan food.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2003 (Jul 24) Head & sensory organs of Tambja morosa. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/10513

Factsheet

Tambja morosa

Related messages

  1. Feeding Tambja morosa in New Zealand
    From: Samuel Kemp, May 17, 2007
  2. Tambja morosa from East Timor
    From: Nick Hobgood, December 11, 2006
  3. Tambja morosa from Bali
    From: Johan Samsom, August 11, 2006
  4. Tambja morosa from Davao, Philippines
    From: Carlos R. Munda, August 9, 2006
  5. Tambja morosa from the Philippines
    From: Sébastien Lenglet, July 8, 2006
  6. Tambja morosa from Gold Coast, Queensland
    From: Ian Banks, June 10, 2006
  7. Tambja morosa? from Pemba, Tanzania
    From: Wilhelm van Zyl, November 22, 2005
  8. Re: Tambja morosa from Sulawesi
    From: Francesco Ricciardi, April 16, 2005
  9. Tambja morosa from southern Queensland
    From: Gary Cobb, November 12, 2003
  10. Tambja morosa - new locality?
    From: Ron Greer, July 26, 2003
  11. Tambja kushimotoensis from Taiwan
    From: Todd Garthwaite, July 24, 2003
  12. Tambja morosa swimming
    From: Sarah Heaney, April 5, 2003
  13. Tambja morosa from Vanuatu
    From: Vinka Stenhouse, March 23, 2003
  14. Juvenile of Tambja sagamiana?
    From: Tomoki Ueda, January 21, 2003
  15. Tambja morosa laying eggs
    From: Mary Jane Adams , December 20, 2002
  16. Tambja morosa from Indonesia
    From: Sabine Noack, September 27, 2002
  17. Tambja morosa from Sulawesi
    From: Mary Jane Adams, June 10, 2002
  18. Tambja morosa from Papua New Guinea
    From: Marli Wakeling, November 12, 2001
  19. Tambja cf morosa from the Philippines
    From: Erwin Koehler, January 5, 2001
  20. Tambja morosa from Queensland
    From: Stuart Hutchison, October 8, 2000
  21. Tambja morosa from Thailand
    From: Narongpon Sittithaweepat, April 10, 2000
  22. Re:Tambja morosa in New Zealand
    From: Ross Armstrong, April 2, 1999
  23. Tambja morosa from New Zealand.
    From: Ian Skipworth, January 24, 1999

Show factsheet and all related messages