Cavoliniidae
| Cavoliniidae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Cavolinia tridentata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Euopisthobranchia clade Thecosomata |
| Superfamily: | Cavolinioidea |
| Family: |
Cavoliniidae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 |
| Synonyms | |
|
Hyalaeidae Rafinesque, 1815 |
|
Hyalaeidae Rafinesque, 1815
The family Cavoliniidae is a taxonomic group of small floating sea snails, pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.
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.
Cavoliniids prefer deep waters, from 100 m down to 2,000 m. They do best in warm oceanic water.
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.
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.
In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) several families have been categorized as subfamilies of the family Cavoliniidae:
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.
Genus Diacavolinia van der Spoel, 1987
Twenty two species of Diacavolinia. Diacavolinia species are characterised by the absence of a caudal spine
Genus Diacria J. E. Gray, 1847
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