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".
Distribution
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 Cuvierininae van der Spoel, 1967 – formerly: Cuvieriidae Gray, 1840 (nom. inv.); Tripteridae Gray, 1850
Subfamily Creseinae Curry, 1982
Genera
Summarize
Perspective
Genera in the family Cavoliniidae include:
Genus Cavolinia Abildgaard, 1791 – A very distinctive shape of shell with a marked bulge on the ventral plate. The species consists of protandric hermaphrodites.
Forma Cavolinia gibbosa f. flava (d'Orbigny, 1834)
Forma Cavolinia gibbosa f. gibboides Rampal, 2002
Forma Cavolinia gibbosa f. gibbosa (d'Orbigny, 1834)
Forma Cavolinia gibbosa f. plana Meisenheimer, 1905
Cavolinia globulosaJ.E.Gray, 1850 – Distribution: tropical Atlantic, Madagascar. Length: 8mm long and 4.5mm wide. Description: The globose, transparent shell with a brownish colour. The anterior section of the shell is rounded. The anterior section of the ventral side has strong transverse ribs.
Cavolinia tridentata (Niebuhr, 1775) – Three-tooth Cavoline, Distribution: circumglobal, Gulf of Mexico, Mascarene Islands, Western Atlantic, South Africa, Red Sea. Length: 20mm. Description: globose transparent shell, with pointed proto-conch and three distinctive posterior projections; two lateral mantle appendages; brownish color.
Cavolinia trispinosa
Cavolinia uncinata (Rang, 1829) – Uncinate Cavoline. Distribution: circumglobal, Red Sea, Gulf of Mexico.
Cavolinia uncinata uncinata Rang, 1829
Cavolinia uncinata pulsatapusilla Van der Spoel, 1993
Genus Diacavolinia van der Spoel, 1987
Twenty two species of Diacavolinia. Diacavolinia species are characterised by the absence of a caudal spine
Diacavolinia bicornis van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Atlantic Ocean. Length: 8mm
Diacavolina constricta van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: Bermuda, Venezuela.
Diacavolinia deblainvillei van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: Caribbean, Western Atlantic. Length: 7mm.
Diacavolinia deshayesi van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: Bermuda, Panama, French Guiana. Length: 8mm.
Diacavolinia elegans van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: New Jersey. Length: 6mm.
Diacavolinia flexipes van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: SE Asia. Length: 5mm.
Diacavolinia limbata van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: Brazil, southern Indo-Pacific. Length: 13mm.
Diacavolinia longirostris (de Blainville, 1821) – Long-snout Cavoline, Distribution: circumglobal, Red Sea, Madagascar, West Pacific, Australian; Gulf of Mexico. Length: 7mm; width: 4.9 to 6.8mm. Description: globulous brownish shell with two distinct lateral spines and a long rostrum on the dorsal rim. Dorsal side of the shell is relatively flat whereas the ventral side is deeply rounded.
The genus comprises two species groups and a total of ten species. The species may be globular, with both dorsal and ventral sides rounded, or bilaterally symmetrical with a long caudal spine. The species are protandric hermaphrodites. They are the largest of the Cavoliniids.
Diacria atlantica L. Dupont, 1979 – Distribution: Massachusetts. Length: 9mm.
Diacria costata G. Pfeffer, 1879 – Distribution: Indo-Pacific
Diacria danae van Leyen and van der Spoel, 1982 – Distribution: circumglobal in warm seas. Length: 9mm.
Diacria maculata Bleeker and van der Spoel, 1988
Diacria major (Boas, 1886) – Distribution: Florida, Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean. Length: 13mm
Diacria quadridentata (Blainville, 1821) – Four-tooth Cavoline. Distribution: circumglobal, Red Sea, Madagascar, Gulf of Mexico, Japan. Length: 3mm; width: 1.8 to 2.5mm. Description: a small, globular shell, with curved spinal and ventral sides. There are no caudal or lateral spines. The dorsal side extends further than the ventral side: synonym of Diacria erythra van der Spoel, 1971
Diacria quadridentata costata Pfeiffer, 1879 – from Japan
Diacria rubecula Bontes & van der Spoel, 1998 – Distribution: warmer regions of North Atlantic. Length: 11mm
Diacria schmidti Leyen & van der Spoel, 1982 – Distribution: Pacific
Diacria schmidti schmidti van Leyen & van der Spoel, 1982
Diacria trispinosa (Blainville, 1821) – Three-spine Cavoline. Distribution: circumglobal, Gulf of Mexico, Madagascar. Length: 13mm; width: 10mm. Description: The slightly transparent, brownish shell is bilaterally symmetrical and is darker on the ribbed sections. Very long caudal spine and strong lateral spines. There are five ribs on the dorsal side and three ribs on the ventral side.
Shell of Diacria trispinosa (holotype at MNHN, Paris)
Clioinae
Clioinae Jeffreys, 1869 = Family Cliidae Jeffreys, 1869
This family name has for a long time been Clioidae with the type genus Clio. Unfortunately this is often confused with another molluscan family Clionidae, which has the type genus Clione. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) has therefore changed the name back to its original spelling Cliidae Jeffreys, 1869, type genus Clio Linnaeus, 1767[4]
All species in this genus are characterised by a bilaterally symmetric, straight or adapically dorso-ventrally slightly curved shell, with an elliptical to triangular transverse section; protoconch clearly separated, globular or elliptical, frequently with a spine at the tip.
Subgenera are used for some species (e.g. Clio s.str., Balantium Bellardi, 1872, Bellardiclio Janssen, 2004), but most species cannot yet be assigned to one of these.
Numerous fossil species have been described.
Recognised extant species are:
Clio andreae (Boas, 1886)
Distribution: north Atlantic, bathypelagic species.
Clio antarctica Dall, 1908
Clio australis: synonym of Clione limacina australis (Bruguière, 1792)
Clio bartletti van der Spoel, 1978
Distribution: central Atlantic (Pleistocene fossil).
This subfamily has been raised to the rank of family Creseidae, belonging to the superfamily Limacinoidea.
The shells of the species in this genus have the form of a more or less narrow, conically widening tube.
Creseis chierchiae Boas, 1886
Distribution: tropical-subtropical, circumglobal.
Length: shell up to 9mm high.
Description: shell straight or slightly curved, initially slowly, later hardly increasing in diameter, with clear annulations, protoconch with rounded tip, followed by a distinct swelling. A form with lacking annulations, also known as a Pliocene fossil, is described as C. chierchiae forma constricta Chen & Bé, 1964.
Description: shell, long and straight or slightly irregular, with small apical angle, circular in cross section; smooth shell surface; protoconch without swelling; there is a characteristic tentacular lobe on the
Creseis conica Eschscholtz, 1829
Distribution: tropical-subtropical, circumglobal.
Length: shell height up to 20mm.
Description: shell straight or slightly curved, with a wider apical angle than C. clava, transverse section circular, protoconch slightly swollen.
Description: shell slightly curved dorsally, with distinct annulations, transverse section initially circular, later slightly dorso-ventrally compressed. The animal is often easily recognised by the very large fins.
Distribution: tropical-suntropical, circumglobal, absent in the Red Sea.
Length: 13mm
Description: needle-like shell, transparent and round in cross-section. A prominent oblique dorsal furrow runs from a short distance above the protoconch to the aperture, building a toothlike process. There is no tentacular lobe on the anterior margin of the fins.
Janssen A. W. (2003). "Notes on the systematics, morphology and biostratigraphy of fossil holoplanktonic Mollusca, 13. "Considerations on a subdivision of Thecosomata, with the emphasis on genus group classification of Limacinidae"". Cainozoic Research2(1–2): 163–170.
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (30 September 2004). "Comments". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 61 (3). Archived from the original on 28 March 2006.
Vaught, K.C. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). ISBN0-915826-22-4. XII, 195 pp.
Further reading
Rampal J. (2002). "Biodiversité et biogéographie chez les Cavoliniidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia, Euthecosomata). Régions faunistiques marines" Zoosystema, 24(2): 209–258.
Janssen A. W. (2005). "Development of Cuvierinidae (Mollusca, Euthecosomata, Cavolinioidea) during the Cainozoic: a non-cladistic approach with a re-interpretation of Recent taxa". Basteria69(1–3): 25–72. abstractArchived 14 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
Janssen A. W., (2006). "Notes on the systematics, morphology and biostratigraphy of fossil holoplanktonic Mollusca, 16. Some additional notes and amendments on Cuvierinidae and on classification of Thecosomata (Mollusca, Euthecosomata)". Basteria70(1–3): 67–70.
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