Limacina antarctica
| Limacina rangii | |
|---|---|
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| Limacina rangii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): |
clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Limacinoidea |
| Family: | Limacinidae |
| Genus: | Limacina |
| Species: | C. rangii |
| Binomial name | |
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Limacina rangii Woodward, 1854 |
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| Synonyms | |
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clade Euthyneura
clade Euopisthobranchia
clade Thecosomata
Limacina rangii is a species of swimming sea snail in the family Limacinidae, which belong to the group commonly known as sea butterflies (Thecosomata).
Limacina rangii is a keystone species of the mesozooplankton of Antarctic pelagic ecosystems.
Until 2010 this taxon was known only as Limacina helicina antarctica or as Limacina helicina f. antarctica. Limacina rangii is however now considered to be a separate species from Limacina helicina, based on (COI) gene sequences.
The distribution of Limacina rangii is circumglobal south of 50°S.
This species occurs in the Weddell Sea and Ross Sea in the Antarctic and in Cumberland Bay, South Georgia. and other localities in the Southern Ocean.
Limacina rangii has a sinistral and very thin shell. Its thickness is approximately 2–9 μm. There are ribs on the surface of the shell. There are differences in the shell structure between Limacina rangii and Limacina helicina.
The width of the shell is 0.5-6 mm.
Limacina rangii is a holoplanktonic species. It is very abundant in the Southern Ocean, with up to 2681 individuals per m3. This species is abundant in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. It is sometimes even more abundant than krill.
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Wikipedia