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Pteropoda (common name pteropods, from the Greek meaning "wing-foot") are specialized free-swimming pelagic sea snails and sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropods.Most live in the top 10 m of the ocean and are less than 1 cm long.
The sea butterflies form the sole food source of their relatives, the Gymnosomata. [8] They are also consumed by sea birds, whales, and commercially important fish. However, if sea butterflies are consumed in large quantities fish can get "black gut", which makes them unsellable. [1]
This is about twice as fast as their prey, the sea butterfly. Tracing the wingtip showed a ‘figure-of-eight’ trajectory and stroke plane orthogonal to the caudal-rostral axis, this pattern was observed in some aerial insects, small birds, and sea butterflies such as hummingbirds and Limacina helicina.
A species of sea snail in its natural habitat: two individuals of the wentletrap Epidendrium billeeanum with a mass of egg capsules in situ on their food source, a red cup coral. A sea snail Euthria cornea laying eggs. Sea snails are slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone.
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]
Limacina helicina is a species of small swimming planktonic sea snail, in the family Limacinidae. It belongs to the group commonly known as sea butterflies (Thecosomata). [7] [8] Limacina helicina is a keystone species of mesozooplankton in Arctic pelagic ecosystems. [9] [10] [11]
These snails have adapted themselves to a pelagic living : a transparent body and shell; the foot has evolved into a swimming fin that produces motion through undulation. [3] the proboscis is mobile and can be extended giving it a trunk-like appearance (giving rise to their common name : sea elephants).
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".