Limacina

Limacina
Limacina helicina
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Clade: Euopisthobranchia
Order: Pteropoda
Family: Limacinidae
Genus: Limacina
Bosc, 1817[1]
Type species
Clio helicina
Phipps, 1774
Species

See text

Synonyms[2]
  • Heterofusus Fleming, 1823
  • Limacina (Limacina) Bosc, 1817 · accepted, alternate representation
  • Lornia Marwick, 1926
  • Munthea van der Spoel, 1967 (unavailable name: no type species designated)
  • Scaea Philippi, 1844
  • Spiratella Blainville, 1817 (Objective synonym of Limacina)
  • Spirialis Eydoux & Souleyet, 1840

Limacina is a genus of swimming predatory sea snails commonly known as sea butterflies in the family Limacinidae. This genus contains some of the world's most abundant gastropod species.[2][3]

Etymological meaning of the generic name Limacina is "snail-like".[4]

As pelagic marine gastropods, Limacina swim by flapping their parapodia, inspiring the common name sea butterflies.

Sea butterflies are part of the clade Thecosomata. Sea angels, similar to Limacina, are in the order Gymnosomata. Both of these orders are still referred to as "pteropods". Sea butterflies of the order Thecosomata have a shell, while sea angels in the order Gymnosomata do not.

  1. ^ Bosc L. A. G. (1817). "Cléodore". Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Histoire naturelle 7: 188.
  2. ^ a b Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2012). Limacina. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138122 on 2012-07-18
  3. ^ Lalli, Carol M.; Gilmer, Ronald W. (1989). Pelagic Snails: The Biology of Holoplanktonic Gastropod Mollusks. ISBN 9780804714907.
  4. ^ Woodward S. P. (1854). A manual of the Mollusca; or, A rudimentary treatise of recent and fossil shells. 2: 207. London.