Description
This very small nudibranch, is surely not a rare species in the Netherlands. It
might well be one of the most common species and can be found all year round.
The animal itself is rather inconspicuous, because of its colour, body shape and
size, but the egg-mass can easily be recognized in its favourite food (fine hydroids
like Obelia and Laomedea).
The egg-mass are small white and globular. Tergipes tergipes can often be found
together with Eubranchus exiguus, but this last species has lozenge-shaped
egg-masses. T. tergipes has only very few cerata, but the are rather large in
relation to its total size.
Size
The maximum length recorded in the literature is 8 mm, but our own
observation show a much smaller maximum size (up to ± 4 mm).
Colour
Body and cerata are translucent. The tips of the cerata are white.
Habitat
Its food can only be found in the shallow sub littoral, and with this also
this nudibranch.
Distribution
Atlantic icluding Mediterranean.