Cavolinia inflexa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cavolinia inflexa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Clade: | Euopisthobranchia |
| Order: | Pteropoda |
| Family: | Cavoliniidae |
| Genus: | Cavolinia |
| Species: | C. inflexa |
| Binomial name | |
| Cavolinia inflexa (Lesueur, 1813) | |
Cavolinia inflexa is a species of small pteropod. Cavolinia inflexa are members of the thecosome pteropod genus that dwell in the epipelagic zone feeding on arctic snow and smaller microorganisms. While it is known that Cavolinia inflexa are filters feeders, their reproductive tendencies and behaviors are not well studied. They can be used as a proxy for assuming climatic conditions for a particular period and have been a focus of ocean acidification impact studies.[1][2]
Like other thecosome pteropods, Cavolinia inflexa form an aggronite shell to surround their body. As a result, they have been found to be highly sensitive to ocean acidification and the constantly changing water column's chemical composition.[3] Cavolinia inflexa are found to be between 2-8 millimeters in length, and have a length to width ratio between 0.51 and 0.81. Additionally, they have a straight shell, their posterior tip bent upwards, and a bilaterally symmetrical structure.[4]
Behavior
Cavolinia inflexa move throughout depths in response to where the largest concentration of food is, as it reacts to the vertical migration patterns expressed by zooplankton.[5] However, they are mostly found floating in the epipelagic zone of the ocean. Their vertical migration is also in response to a diurnal cycle.[6] They feed by ingesting their captured prey that has been snared by their mucus feedings webs. After 1-3 minutes they can completely consume and digest their snared prey.[7]
