Cavolinioidea
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The superfamily Cavolinioidea (H. and A. Adams, 1854) belong to the sea butterflies of the infraorder Euthecosomata. This superfamily has the greatest number of sea butterflies.. 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, Clioidae, Creseidae and Cuvierinidae (Cainozoic Research, 2(1-2): 163-170, 2003). A new family Praecuvierinidae was created on evolutionary grounds.
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Description
Species in this superfamily have a calcareous, bilaterally symmetrical conical or globular shell with a completely different form than those in the family Limacinidae. This shell is twisted in a flat manner or slightly curved. In the anterior part, two parapodia, winglike flat lobules, appear between each half of the shell. They enable these sea butterflies to float along in the water currents, through slowly flapping movements. These wings are covered with cilia, which produce a minute water current that pushes the planktonic food to the mouth.
A more general description can be found under Sea butterfly
Habitat
Cavoliniids prefer deep waters, from 100 meter up to 2,000 m. They are circumglobal, carried by the sea currents to all the seas of the world, but they prefer warm oceanic water.
Sexual life
Cavoliniids have a strange sexual life. They develop from males as juveniles into hermaphrodites and then later convert into females. More than one male stage can occur. Such a bizarre, but no so uncommon, phenomenon is called protandry. This is a common practice among many species of fish that may start as females, others species may start as males. Identification of juveniles is difficult as the juvenile shells differ greatly from adults.
Family Cavoliniidae
Genus Cavolinia Abildgaard, 1791
A very distinctive shape of shell with a marked bulge on the ventral plate. The species are protandric hermaphrodites.
- Cavolinia angulosa
- Cavolinia couthouyi (Dall, 1908
- Cavolinia gibbosa (d'Orbigny, 1836) -- Gibbose Cavoline
- Distribution : circumglobal, US Atlantic Coast, Bermuda, Cuba, Atlantic
- Length : 10 mm
- Cavolinia globulosa J.E.Gray, 1850
- Distribution : tropical Atlantic, Madagascar.
- Length : 8 mm long and 4.5 mm 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 inflata
- Cavolinia inflexa (Lesueur, 1813) -- Inflexed Cavoline
- Distribution : circumglobal, Red Sea, Bermuda, Cuba, Brazil.
- Length : 7 mm
- Subspecies :
- Cavolinia inflexa labiata d’Orbigny, 1836
- Cavolinia longirostratus (de Blainville, 1821)
- Cavolinia occidentalis
- Cavolinia quadridentata
- Cavolinia telemus Linnaeus, 1767
- Cavolinia tridentata (Niebuhr, 1775) -- Three-tooth Cavoline
- Distribution : circumglobal, Gulf of Mexico, Mascarene Islands, Western Atlantic, South Africa, Red Sea
- Length : 20 mm
- 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
- Distribution : circumglobal, Red Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Genus Diacavolinia van der Spoel, 1987
Twenty two species of Diacavolinia. Diacavolinia species are characterised by the absence of a caudal spine
- Diacavolina angulosa J.E. Gray, 1850
- Distribution : Indo-Pacific, Atlantic.
- Length : 4 mm
- Diacavolinia bicornis van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution : Indo-Pacific, Atlatic Ocean.
- Length : 8 mm
- 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 : 7 mm
- Diacavolinia deshayesi van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution ; Bermuda, Panama, French Guyana
- Length : 8 mm
- Diacavolinia elegans van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution : New Yersey
- Length : 6 mm
- Diacavolinia flexipes van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution : SE Asia
- Length : 5 mm
- Diacavolinia limbata van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution : Brazil, southern Indo-Pacific
- Length : 13 mm
- Diacavolinia longirostris (de Blainville, 1821) Long-snout Cavoline
- Distribution : circumglobal, Red Sea, Madagascar, West Pacific, Australian; Gulf of Mexico
- Length : 7 mm; width : 4.9 to 6.8 mm
- 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.
- Diacavolinia longurostris angulata Souleyet 1852
- Diacavolinia mcgowani van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Diacavolinia ovalis van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution : Caribbean, West Atlantic
- Length : 6 mm
- Diacavolinia robusta van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993
- Distribution : Caribbean, West Atlantic
- Length : 5.4 mm
- Diacavolinia strangulata (G.P. Deshayes, 1823)
- Distribution : Panama, Brazil, Cuba
- Length : 4 mm
Genus Diacria J.E. Gray, 1847
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 : 9 mm
- Diacria costata G. Pfeffer, 1879
- Distribution : Indo-Pacific
- Diacria danae van Leyen and van der Spoel, 1982
- Distribution : circumglobal in warm seas
- Length : 9 mm
- Diacria maculata Bleeker and van der Spoel, 1988
- Diacria major (Boas, 1886)
- Distribution : Florida, Bermuda, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean.
- Length : 13 mm
- Diacria quadridentata (de Blainville, 1821) -- Four-tooth Cavoline
- Distribution : circumglobal, Red Sea, Madagascar, Gulf of Mexico, Japan
- Length : 3 mm; width : 1.8 to 2.5 mm
- 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.
- Subspecies :
- Diacria quadridentata costata Pfeiffer, 1879 Japan
- Diacria rampali Dupont, 1979
- Distribution : Florida, Brazil
- Length : 10 mm
- Diacria rubecula Bontes & van der Spoel, 1998
- Distribution : warmer regions of North Atlantic
- Length : 11 mm
- Diacria schmidti Leyen & van der Spoel, 1982
- Distribution : Pacific
- Diacria trispinosa (de Blainville, 1821) -- Three-spine Cavoline
- Distribution : circumglobal, Gulf of Mexico, Madagascar.
- Length : 13 mm; width : 10 mm
- 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.
Family Clioidae
All are characterised by straight or slightly curved shells.
Genus Clio Linnaeus, 1767
- Clio andreae (Boas, 1886)
- Distribution : cosmopolitan
- Clio balantium Rang, 1829
- Distribution : Japan
- Clio chaptalii J. E. Gray, 1850
- Distribution : Pacific
- Clio compressa F. L. A. Souleyet, 1852
- Distribution : New Zealand
- Clio cuspidata (Bosc, 1802) -- Cuspidate Clio
- Distribution : circumglobal
- Clio fulcata Bonnevie, 1913
- Distribution : Japan
- Clio polita (Pelseneer, 1888) -- Two-keel Clio
- Distribution : Pacific
- Clio pyramidata Linnaeus, 1767 -- Pyramid Clio
- Distribution : circumglobal
- Length : 21 mm
- Description : the mucous web has a pyramidal shape
- Subspecies
- Clio pyramidata angusta Boas, 1886 Japan
- Clio pyramidata convexa Boas, 1886 America
- Clio pyramidata lanceolata Lesueur, 1813 America
- Clio pyramidata lata Boas, 1886 Japan
- Clio recurva (Children, 1823) -- Wavy Clio
- Distribution : East America
- Length : 30 mm
- Clio sulcata Pfeiffer, 1879
- Distribution : New Zealand
Family Creseidae
Genus Creseis Rang, 1828
The shell of the members of this species has the form of a narrow, conically tapering tube.
- Creseis acicula (Rang, 1828) -- Straight needle-Pteropod
- Distribution : circumglobal, Seychelles, Madagascar.
- Length: shell is up to 35 mm long and 1.5 mm across.
- Description : transparent shell, long and straight, and round in cross section; smooth shell surface; smooth; there is a characteristic tentacular lobe on the anterior margin of the fins.
- Subspecies :
- Creseis acicula clava Rang, 1827 Japan
- Creseis chierchiae
- Creseis virgula (Rang, 1828) -- Curved-needle Pteropod
- Distribution : Red Sea, Madagascar, Seychelles, Gulf of Mexico, Japan
- Length: shell length up to 7 mm, opening diameter 1 mm.
- Description : transparent shell, curved and round in cross section; smooth and colorless shell surface.
- Subspecies :
- Creseis virgula conica Eschscholtz, 1825 Japan
- Creseis virgula constricta Chen & Be, Japan
- Creseis virgula virgula
Genus Hyalocylis de Folin, 1875
- Hyalocylis striata (Rang, 1828) -- Striate Clio
- Distribution : circumglobal, Atlantic Ocean, Indo- W. Pacific, Madagascar.
- Length : 10 mm
- Description : cone-shaped transparent shell, slightly curved dorsally. The opening is oval in transverse section. The surface of the shell has transverse thickened bands that progressively get wider apart near the aperture. The animal is often easily recognised by the very large fins. The species can occur in swarms.
Genus Styliola J.E.Gray, 1850
- Styliola subula (Quoy & Gaimard, 1827) -- Keeled Clio
- Distribution : circumglobal, Florida, Brazil, Madagascar, East Pacific
- Length : 13 mm
- Description : needle-like shell, transparent and round in cross-section. A prominent straight ridge runs obliquely from the opening down to the left. There is no tentacular lobe on the anterior margin of the fins.The species can occur in swarms.
Family Cuvierinidae
Extinct genera :
- Spoelia and Johnjagtia (Late Oligocene, early Miocene)
- Ireneia (extinct Late Miocene with Ireneia gracilis
Genus Cuvierina Boas, 1886
The genus Cuvierina developed from the Ireneia lineage during the Early Miocene.
- Cuvierina columnella (Rang, 1827) -- Cigar Pteropod
- Distribution :circumglobal, Indo-Pacific
- Subspecies :
- Cuvierina columnella columnella Rang, 1827
- Cuvierina columnella urceolaria O. A. L. Mörch, 1850
- Cuvierina cuvierina pacifica (new species)
- Cuvierina urceolaria cancapae (new species)
- Cuvierina urceolaria curryi (new species).
Family Praecuvierinidae
(new family)Genera Praecuvierina (new genus) and Texacuvierina (new genus). These two genera from the Eocene in the USA do not fit in the evolutionary model of the Cuvierinidae. They form together the new family Praecuvierinidae.
Reference
- Bulletin of the Natural History Museum (Geology Series), 17 July 2002 (new genera and a new family)