Cavoliniidae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cavoliniidae
Cavolinia tridentata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Euopisthobranchia
Order: Pteropoda
Suborder: Euthecosomata
Superfamily: Cavolinioidea
Family: Cavoliniidae
(Gray, 1850 (1815))
Synonyms
  • Cleodoridae Gray, 1840
  • Hyalaeidae Rafinesque, 1815

The family Cavoliniidae is a taxonomic group of small floating sea snails, pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.[1]

This family is part of a larger group which is commonly known as the sea butterflies because they swim by flapping what appear to be small "wings".

This family of sea butterflies are circumglobal, carried by the sea currents to all the seas of the world.

Habitat

Cavoliniids prefer deep waters, from 100 m down to 2,000 m. They do best in warm oceanic water.

Life habits

Towards the anterior end of the animal, two parapodia (winglike flat lobules) protrude between each half of the shell. The parapodia enable these sea butterflies to float along in the water currents, using slow flapping movements. The parapodia are also covered with cilia, which produce a minute water current that pushes the planktonic food to the mouth of the animal.

Taxonomy

In 2003, the family Cavoliniidae was raised to the rank of superfamily Cavolinioidea. At the same time, the subfamilies were given the new status of families: Cavoliniidae, Cliidae, Creseidae and Cuvierinidae.[2]

2005 taxonomy

In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005)[3] several families have been categorized as subfamilies of the family Cavoliniidae:

  • Subfamily Cavoliinae Gray, 1850 (1815) – formerly Hyalaeidae Rafinesque, 1815
  • Subfamily Clioinae Jeffreys, 1869 – formerly Cleodoridae Gray, 1840 – nomen oblitum
  • Subfamily Cuvierininae van der Spoel, 1967 – formerly: Cuvieriidae Gray, 1840 (nom. inv.); Tripteridae Gray, 1850
  • Subfamily Creseinae Curry, 1982

Genera

References

Further reading

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI