Tergipes tergipes
(Forskal, 1775)

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: AEOLIDINA
Family: Tergipedidae

DISTRIBUTION

Widely distributed throughout the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland and Norway to the Mediterranean, and from Brazil to North America.

PHOTO

St. Kilda, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, 1993. 2-3mm long. PHOTOS: Daniel Geiger.

Small aeolid growing to about 8mm. each branch of the digetsive gland leads to only a single ceras. Feeds on a wide variety of hydroids and can be locally very abundant. Swennen (1959) reports population densities of 500 per square meter at a site in Holland.

References:
• Swennen, C. (1959) The Netherlands coastal waters as an environment for Nudibranchia. Basteria, 23: 56-62.
• Thompson, T.E. & Brown, G.H. (1984) Biology of Opisthobranch Molluscs, Vol 2. Ray Society: London.

Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2000 (December 31) Tergipes tergipes (Forskal, 1775). [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/tergterg

Related messages

  1. Tergipes tergipes from the Netherlands
    From: John de Jong, May 8, 2006
  2. Tergipes tergipes image
    From: Daniel Geiger, January 2, 2001
  3. Tergipes tergipes from the Netherlands
    From: Peter H. van Bragt, September 1, 1999

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