Nembrotha cristata Bergh, 1877
- Location
- W Arch, Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan
- Date
- 2026/05/27
- Length
- 60mm
- Depth
- 14.0m
- Water temperature
- 25.5℃
Description
Ground colour deeply black. The back and sides bear scattered, partly serially arranged, raised, emerald-green tubercles; the front edge of the head is particularly adorned with similar tubercles; the edge of the rhinophore sheaths and the tentacles are of the same emerald-green colour; the very large gill is green with the leaves partly black. Three non-retractile gill leaves are connected at the base; the oral tentacles are lobiform; the foot is narrow and scarcely projects at the sides.Distribution
Type locality: Philippine seas. The species is now known broadly across the Indo-West Pacific coral-reef zone, where it feeds on colonial ascidians.Etymology
The Latin adjective cristata (feminine) means "crested, having a crest or ridge". The original Latin diagnosis describes the dorsum and sides as ornamented with emerald-green tubercles partly arranged in rows, and the descriptive epithet evidently refers to these raised, partly serial green tubercles.Remarks
The original description was based on a single specimen collected by C. Semper in Philippine waters and figured alive (mislabelled "Trevelyana cristata"). The specimen itself was subsequently lost, so the species was established from the drawing and brief notes alone; the radula could not be examined.References
- Nembrotha cristata Bgh. n. sp., Bergh R. (1877). Malacologische Untersuchungen. In: Semper C. (ed.), Reisen im Archipel der Philippinen. II. Wissenschaftliche Resultate. Bd. II, Heft XI: 429-494, Taf. LIV-LVII. Wiesbaden: C.W. Kreidel's Verlag.
- トサカリュウグウウミウシ（新称）, 益田一ほか. (1996). 海岸動物 (フィールド図鑑). 補訂版第2版. 東海大学出版会.
- Pola M., Cervera J.L. & Gosliner T.M. (2008). Revision of the Indo-Pacific genus Nembrotha (Nudibranchia: Dorididae: Polyceridae), with a description of two new species. Scientia Marina. 72(1): 145-183. https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2008.72n1145
A Kindle field guide by the site author
Kimoto N. (2026). Sea Slugs of Japan & the Indo-Pacific, 2nd Edition.
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Photos of Nembrotha cristata
Tag:
Same Genus Nudibranchs
Similar Colors Nudibranchs
Academic Database
Sea slug observation data is available in international marine biodiversity databases.