Tambja abdere Farmer, 1978

Description

A large polycerid reaching about 80 mm in length. Body elongate, limaciform; ground colour ochre-yellow. Body surface marked with irregular blue patches arranged in vertical rows; each blue patch is finely outlined by black. Eye region distinctly black. According to the original description, rhinophores and gills are dark brownish-black; the gill axis externally retains the ochre body colour.

Distribution

Eastern Pacific. Originally known only from Mexico (Sea of Cortez / Gulf of California).

Etymology

The specific epithet 'abdere' is a noun in apposition; the original description (Farmer, 1978) does not give an explicit derivation.

Remarks

Described by Farmer 1978 from the Sea of Cortez. Feeds on arborescent bryozoans. Frequently preyed upon by the predatory polycerid Roboastra tigris. Pola, Cervera & Gosliner 2008 cited the species in their revision of the Indo-Pacific Nembrothinae as part of the broader Nembrotha–Tambja–Roboastra context.

---

References

• Tambja abdere, 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
• Tambja abdere, Behrens D.W., Hermosillo A., Fletcher K. & Jensen G.C. (2022). Nudibranchs & Sea Slugs of the Eastern Pacific. Molamarine.