The Aplustridae is a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

s or bubble snails, marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

s in the superfamily

Acteonoidea Acteonoidea is a superfamily of sea snails, or bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks. Taxonomy In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the superfamily Acteonoidea has been included into the informal group "Lower Heterobranchia" (He ...

. The former name of this family, Hydatinidae (Pilsbry, 1893) has been declared invalid.Bouchet, P.; Rocroi, J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda,J.; Hausdorf,B.; Ponder, W.; Valdes, A.; Warén, A. (2005). Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families. Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology, 47(1-2). ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany. . 397 pp

Description

The soft parts of animals in this family are brightly colored. The oval bubble-shaped shell is thin and fragile and has a sunken spire. The shell is white or beige-colored with colored bands or stripes. There is no operculum.

Life habits

The soft parts of the animal cannot retract completely into the shell, and therefore these animals depend for their defense on swimming and camouflage. They are specialised feeders, eating cirratulinid

polychaete worm Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are ma ...

Genera

Genera within the family Aplustridae include: * ''

Aplustrum ''Aplustrum'' is a genus of gastropods belonging to the family Aplustridae. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Aplustrum Schumacher, 1817. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdet ...

'' Schumacher, 1817 * ''

Bullina ''Bullina'' is a genus of sea snails or bubble snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Aplustridae. Species Species within the genus ''Bullina'' include: *'' Bullina callizona'' Sakurai & Habe, 1961 **Distribution : Philippines **Desc ...

'' A. Férussac, 1822 * '' Espinosina'' Ortea & Moro, 2017 * ''

Hydatina ''Hydatina'' is a genus of sea snails, bubble snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplustridae. Species Species within this genus include: * '' Hydatina albocincta'' Van der Hoeven, 1839 * '' Hydatina cinctoria'' Perr ...

'' Schumacher, 1817 * ''

Micromelo ''Micromelo'' is a genus of sea snails, bubble snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplustridae. Species Species within the genus ''Micromelo'' include: * ''Micromelo guamensis ''Micromelo guamensis'', common name th ...

'' Pilsbry, 1895 * '' Parvaplustrum'' Powell, 1981 * ''

Rictaxiella ''Rictaxiella'' is a genus of sea snails, bubble snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplustridae The Aplustridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of sea snails or bubble snails, Marine (oce ...

'' Habe, 1958 Image:Aplustrum amplustre.JPG, ''

Aplustrum amplustre ''Aplustrum amplustre'', also known as royal paper bubble, ship’s flag shell, swollen bubble, is a species of sea snails, bubble snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Aplustridae. Description With length of shell arou ...

'' Image:Hydatina albocincta - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC00204.JPG, ''

Hydatina albocincta ''Hydatina albocincta'', common name the white-banded bubble, is a species of sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae The Aplustridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), ...

'' Image:Hydatina physis Réunion.JPG, ''

Hydatina physis ''Hydatina physis'' is a species of sea snail, a bubble snail, a marine (ocean), marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Aplustridae. Its common names include striped paper bubble, green-lined paper bubble, brown-l ...

'' Image:Hydatina zonata shell.jpg, ''

Hydatina zonata ''Hydatina zonata'', common name the zoned paper bubble, is a species of sea snail or bubble snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Aplustridae. Distribution This species occurs in the Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast ...

'' Image:Micromelo guamensis.jpg, ''

Micromelo guamensis ''Micromelo guamensis'', common name the Guam paper bubble, is a species of sea snail, a bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Aplustridae. Description This species has a white shell with black to brownish wavy l ...

'' Image:Micromelo undata.jpg, ''

Micromelo undatus ''Micromelo undatus'', common name the miniature melo, is an uncommon species of small sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae. Distribution This species occurs in the Caribbean, Florida, ...

References

* Rudman, W.B. (1972) "The anatomy of the opisthobranch genus ''Hydatina'' and the functioning of the mantle cavity and the alimentary canal". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 51(2): 121-139 * Vaught, K.C.; Tucker Abbott, R.; Boss, K.J. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne. . XII, 195 pp * Guangyu, 1997. Fauna Sinica Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda Subclass Opisthobranchia Order Cephalaspidea. 225pp., 28pls. (3col.pls.), 35 figs * Powell A W B, ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 * Bouchet P., Rocroi J.P., Hausdorf B., Kaim A., Kano Y., Nützel A., Parkhaev P., Schrödl M. & Strong E.E. (2017). Revised classification, nomenclator and typification of gastropod and monoplacophoran families. Malacologia. 61(1-2): 1-526 {{Taxonbar, from=Q3175417 Taxa named by John Edward Gray