About Tergipes tergipes (Forsskål, 1775)
Tergipes tergipes (Forsskål, 1775) typically reaches an adult size of 5 to 8 millimeters. A recent study has confirmed this species is amphi-atlantic. This nudibranch species was originally described from Øresund, Denmark. It has been reliably recorded in the Northeast Atlantic, ranging from Iceland and Norway south to Portugal, and also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea. Existing reports of this species from Brazil need to be treated with caution. The minimum recorded depth for this species is 4 meters, while the maximum recorded depth is 10 meters. Tergipes tergipes feeds on hydroids belonging to the genus Obelia, with a particular preference for Obelia geniculata. It closely resembles Eubranchus exiguus in both size and spawn shape, and the two species are often found growing on the same kelp blades.
