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This species has been observed on Mayotte Island

Order : Nudibranchia Suborder : Euctenidiacea Superfamily : Polyceroidea Family : Polyceridae Distribution : Mayotte... Maximal size : Abundance : Seldom if ever on the fore reef zone Species characteristics : The ground colour is orange The rhinophores are orange with a darker red brown apex The three gill branches are white with a dark violet apex
	Showing species characteristics...	Photo Pierre Riboulon Mayotte, N'Gouja, 10 m, 5 January 2017, size : 3-4 mm

See more about : Sightening and mating periods

Remarks :

Identification confirmed by Marta Pola. According Marta Pola "The orange with purple tips : Tambja sp. (Tambja cf. amakusana)"     In Tambja cf amakusana, Pola M., Cervera J.L. & Gosliner T.M. ,2006         - The ground colour is translucent white, with some areas covered by a light orange pigment.         - The gill branches are white with a dark violet apex         - The rhinophores have anterior and posterior orange regions. The lateral and apical areas are white and the tips are dark violet.    This specimem is called Tambja amakusana, Baba, 1987 in NSSI Gosliner & all, 2015

The presence of purple to dark blue on the tips of the rhinophores and on the tips of the gill is distinctive in this species, like in five (may be more) species T. amakusana Baba, 1987, T. cf. amakusana Pola, Padula, Gosliner & Cervera 2014, T. oliva Meyer, 1977, T. kava  Pola, Padula, Gosliner & Cervera 2014, and T. limaciformis (Eliot, 1908). It also the case of Tambja sp. 1 and Tambja sp. 2

Bibliographic data :

There is a pair of delicate perfoliate rhinophores with about 10 lamellae
    Three very small, bi-pinnate non-retractile gill branches form a semicircle around the anal papilla.

References :

Nudibranchs Sunshine coast : Tambja amakusana

Publications :

Pola M., Cervera J.L. & Gosliner T.M. (2006) Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Tambja Burn, 1962 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae). Zoologica Scripta 35(5):491-530

Other photos of Tambja sp. 2 :

Pierre Riboulon Mayotte, N'Gouja, 10 m, 5 January 2017, size : 3-4 mm The rhinophores are orange with a darker red brown apex (b) The three gill branches (a) are white with a dark violet apex

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