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Description
Tambja is a genus of colourful dorid nudibranchs in the family Polyceridae. They feed on bryozoans and produce defensive tambjamine compounds. The genus includes species from the Indo-Pacific and the western Atlantic, and from the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean such as T. ceutae. Wikipedia gives about 31 valid species.
Identification
The most distinctive feature is a sensory lateral slot on each side of the head between the rhinophore and the oral tentacle, sometimes resembling a cheekbone, which separates Tambja from similar genera such as Nembrotha. The body is slug-like (limaciform), often blue-green with yellow bands (for example T. ceutae) and with conical bumps on the back; the gills surround the anal papilla.
Species in this genus (2)
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