Tambja gabrielae from Indonesia [1]

August 16, 2005
From: Lindsay Warren

Dear Bill
Having just read the recent paper by Marta Pola, Lucas Cervera & Terry Gosliner (2005), I thought you might like the 3 attached photos to add to the listings of what you have been calling Tambja sp. 5 and is now named Tambja gabrielae.

Locality: NW Pulau Kapota, Tukang Besi Archipelago, SE Sulawesi, Indonesia. Depth: 6 m. Length: 20 mm. 23 August 2000. Reef drop-off, exposed area. Photographer: Lindsay Warren

Separately [message #14566] I am sending a 4th shot you might also like of another specimen.

It is interesting to see the variation in colour of the yellow patches which seem to take on shades of green and orange as well. It would be interesting to know what is causing this - external light, individual pigmentation or the nature of the pigment cells. The shape of the oral tentacles and the "lateral slots of unknown function located between rhinophores and oral tentacles" referred to in the paper can be seen in some of the shots.

  • Pola, M., Cervera, J.L. & Gosliner, T. (2005) Four New Species of Tambja Burn, 1962 (Nudibranchia: Polyceridae) from the Indo-Pacific. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 71: 257-267

All the best and many thanks for your continued efforts with the Forum - as excellent as ever!
Lindsay

alldcl@compuserve.com

Warren, L.C.R., 2005 (Aug 16) Tambja gabrielae from Indonesia [1]. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14539

Dear Lindsay,
Thanks for the photos. yes I have been preparing some pages for these new species, which as you say will need me to reorganise some of the earlier messages on the Forum - that's usually the reason I can't change things over night when one of these important papers arrives. Thanks for the close-up photos of the head. I am not quite sure why they called the very characteristic organs on the head 'lateral slots'. I discussed and illustrated them on the Forum [see message #10513] and noted that they are very plastic organs, sometimes retracted and appaering as a slit or groove, and yet other times they are swollen out to form a ridge. Calling the a 'slot' doesn't reflect this plastic nature - it might be appropriate for preserved specimens but certainly not for living ones.

Concerning the colour change, have a look at Bernard Picton's comments [message #5981 ]. They certainly seem to have weird pigments

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Aug 16). Comment on Tambja gabrielae from Indonesia [1] by Lindsay Warren. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14539

Factsheet

Tambja gabrielae

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