Tambja tenuilineata M. C. Miller & Haagh, 2005

Description

A medium-sized polycerid in which the body colour ranges from green to yellow and is typically marked with thin, regular black longitudinal lines along the dorsum and flanks. Rhinophore tips bear a darker (often blackish) zone. Body slender and limaciform with a tapering pointed tail.

Distribution

Western Pacific. Originally described from eastern Australia.

Etymology

The specific epithet 'tenuilineata' is a Latin compound from 'tenuis' (slender, thin) and 'lineatus' (lined), referring to the conspicuous fine longitudinal lines on the body.

Remarks

Described by M. C. Miller & Haagh 2005. Some Japanese specimens of Tambja morosa bearing fine black longitudinal lines may be confused with this species. Willan & Chang 2017 reviewed the morphological characters of the genus and discussed phylogenetic relationships within Tambja sensu lato.

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References

• Tambja cf. tenuilineata, Pola M., Padula V., Gosliner T.M. & Cervera J.L. (2014). Going further on an intricate and challenging group of nudibranchs: description of five novel species and a more complete molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Nembrothinae (Polyceridae). Cladistics. 30(6): 607-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/cla.12097
• Tambja tenuilineata, Willan, R. C. & Chang, Y.-W. (2017). Description of three new species of Tambja (Gastropoda, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae) from the western Pacific Ocean reveals morphological characters with taxonomic and phylogenetic significance for traditional Polyceridae and related phaneorobranch nudibranchs. Basteria 81(1-3): 1-23.