''Tambja'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of colorful

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary ...

s, dorid

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to mat ...

s, shell-less marine gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

s in the family

Polyceridae The Polyceridae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks within the superfamily Polyceroidea. Taxonomy The family Polyceridae is classified within the clade Doridacea, itself belonging to the clad ...

.MolluscaBase (2018)
''Tambja'' Burn, 1962.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-08-20.

Biology

These nudibranchs feed on

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a ...

ns. They have a

radula The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food ...

which bears a rachidian tooth whose upper margin is either smooth or notched; the lateral tooth has two crowns, and the other teeth are so flat as to resemble plates.

Species

Species in the genus ''Tambja'' include: * '' Tambja abdere'' Farmer, 1978 - synonym: ''Tambja fusca'' * '' Tambja affinis'' (Eliot, 1904) * ''

Tambja amitina ''Tambja amitina'' is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). ...

'' (

Bergh Bergh is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Gelderland. The municipality included the villages of 's-Heerenberg, Zeddam, and Stokkum. In 2005, it merged with Didam to form the new municipality of Montferland Montferland () i ...

, 1905) nomen dubium * '' Tambja anayana'' Ortea, 1989 * '' Tambja blacki'' Pola, Cervera & Gosliner, 2006 * '' Tambja brasiliensis'' Pola, Padula, Gosliner & Cervera, 2014 * '' Tambja caeruleocirrus'' Willan & Chang, 2017 * '' Tambja capensis'' (

, 1907) * '' Tambja ceutae'' Garcia-Gomez & Ortea, 1988 * '' Tambja crioula'' Pola, Padula, Gosliner & Cervera, 2014 * '' Tambja dracomus'' Willan & Chang, 2017 * '' Tambja diaphana'' (

, 1877) - nomen dubium * ''

Tambja eliora ''Tambja eliora'' is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae The Polyceridae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks within the superfamily ...

'' (Er. Marcus & Ev. Marcus, 1967) * '' Tambja fantasmalis'' Ortea & García-Gómez, 1986 * '' Tambja gabrielae'' Pola, Cervera, & Gosliner, 2005 * ''

Tambja gratiosa ''Tambja'' is a genus of colorful sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Polyceridae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tambja'' Burn, 1962.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-08-20. Biology T ...

'' (

, 1890) - synonym: ''Roboastra gratiosa'' (Bergh, 1890) * '' Tambja haidari'' Pola, Cervera, & Gosliner, 2006 * '' Tambja kava'' Pola, Padula, Gosliner & Cervera, 2014 * '' Tambja marbellensis'' (Schick & Cervera, 1998) * ''

Tambja morosa ''Tambja morosa'', also known as ''Tambja kushimotoensis'' or gloomy nudibranch,Hoover, John P.,"Hawai'i's Sea Creatures". Mutual Publishing, 1998, p. 176. is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in ...

'' (

, 1877) - synonym: ''Tambja kushimotoensis'' Baba, 1987 * ''

Tambja mullineri ''Tambja'' is a genus of colorful sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Polyceridae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tambja'' Burn, 1962.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-08-20. Biolog ...

'' Farmer, 1978 * '' Tambja olivaria'' Yonow, 1994 * '' Tambja pulcherrima'' Willan & Chang, 2017 * '' Tambja sagamiana'' ( Baba, 1955) * ''

Tambja simplex ''Tambja'' is a genus of colorful sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Polyceridae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tambja'' Burn, 1962.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-08-20. Biolog ...

'' Ortea & Moro, 1999 * '' Tambja stegosauriformis'' Pola, Cervera, & Gosliner, 2005 * ''

Tambja tenuilineata ''Tambja tenuilineata'' is a species of colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Polyceridae The Polyceridae are a taxonomic family of sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks within the s ...

'' Miller & Haagh, 2005 * ''

Tambja verconis ''Tambja verconis'', common name ''Verco's nudibranch'', is a species of brightly coloured " sea slug", more correctly a nudibranch, a marine gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class ...

'' (Basedow & Hedley, 1905) - type species * ''

Tambja victoriae ''Tambja'' is a genus of colorful sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks in the family Polyceridae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tambja'' Burn, 1962.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-08-20. Biology T ...

'' Pola, Cervera, & Gosliner, 2005 * ''

Tambja zulu ''Tambja'' is a genus of colorful sea slugs, dorid nudibranchs, shell-less marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family Polyceridae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Tambja'' Burn, 1962.Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2018-08- ...

'' Pola, Cervera, & Gosliner, 2005 The nominal species ''Tambja amakusana'' Baba, 1987, ''T. mediterranea'' Domínguez, Pola & Ramón, 2015, and ''T. oliva'' Meyer, 1977 have been placed in the new genus '' Martadoris''.Willan R.C. & Chang Y.-W. en-Wei (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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3980583 Polyceridae