The

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 ...

Cavoliniidae 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 ...

group of small floating

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 ...

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...

marine

opisthobranch Opisthobranchs () is a now informal name for a large and diverse group of specialized complex gastropods which used to be united in the subclass Opisthobranchia. That taxon is no longer considered to represent a monophyletic grouping. Euopistho ...

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.Gofas, S. (2011). Cavoliniidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=23000 on 30 April 2011 This family is part of a larger group which is commonly known as the

sea butterflies The Thecosomata (collective/plural: ''thecosomes'', meaning "case/shell-body"), or sea butterflies, are a taxonomic suborder of small, pelagic, free-swimming sea snails known as holoplanktonic opisthobranch gastropod mollusks, in the order ...

because they swim by flapping what appear to be small "wings".

Distribution

This family of sea butterflies are circumglobal, carried by the sea currents to all the seas of the world.

Habitat

Cavoliniids prefer deep waters, from 100 m down to 2,000 m. They do best in warm oceanic water.

Life habits

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 The cilium (: cilia; ; in Medieval Latin and in anatomy, ''cilium'') is a short hair-like membrane protrusion from many types of eukaryotic cell. (Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea.) The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike proj ...

, which produce a minute water current that pushes the

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

ic food to the mouth of the animal.

Taxonomy

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.

2005 taxonomy

In the taxonomy of Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) several families have been categorized as subfamilies of the family Cavoliniidae: *Subfamily Cavoliinae Gray, 1850 (1815) – formerly Hyalaeidae Rafinesque, 1815 *Subfamily Clioinae Jeffreys, 1869 – formerly Cleodoridae Gray, 1840 – nomen oblitum *Subfamily Cuvierininae van der Spoel, 1967 – formerly: Cuvieriidae Gray, 1840 (nom. inv.); Tripteridae Gray, 1850 *Subfamily Creseinae Curry, 1982

Genera

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

hermaphrodite A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

s. * '' Cavolinia angulosa'' * '' Cavolinia couthouyi'' Dall, 1908 * '' Cavolinia gibbosa'' (

d'Orbigny Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology (including malacology), palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropol ...

, 1836) – Gibbose Cavoline. Distribution: circumglobal, US Atlantic Coast, Bermuda, Cuba, Atlantic. Length: 10 mm. ** Forma ''Cavolinia gibbosa'' f. ''flava'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) ** Forma ''Cavolinia gibbosa'' f. ''gibboides'' Rampal, 2002 ** Forma ''Cavolinia gibbosa'' f. ''gibbosa'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) ** Forma ''Cavolinia gibbosa'' f. ''plana'' Meisenheimer, 1905 * '' 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. * '' Cavolinia labiata''

, 1836 * '' Cavolinia longirostratus'' ( Blainville, 1821) * '' Cavolinia occidentalis'' * '' Cavolinia pachysoma'' Rampal, 2002 * '' Cavolinia quadridentata'' * '' Cavolinia telemus''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, 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 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 John Edward Gray (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for a zoo ...

, 1850 – Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Atlantic. Length: 4 mm. * '' Diacavolinia bicornis'' van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: Indo-Pacific, Atlantic 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 Guiana. Length : 8 mm. * '' Diacavolinia elegans'' van der Spoel, Bleeker and Kobayashi, 1993 – Distribution: New Jersey. 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 longirostris 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 Diacria () is an ancient name for the highlands in the north-east of Attica in Greece, surrounding the Plain of Marathon. Attica may be divided into five natural parts: * The Eleusinian Plain * The Athenian Plain * The Paralia or Sea-coasts * ...

'' 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'' ( 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 : synonym of '' Diacria erythra'' van der Spoel, 1971 ** '' Diacria quadridentata costata'' Pfeiffer, 1879 – from Japan ** ''Diacria quadridentata quadridentata'' (Blainville, 1821): synonym of '' Diacria quadridentata'' (Blainville, 1821) ** ''Diacria quadridentata quadridentata'' f. ''danae'' van der Spoel, 1969: synonym of '' Diacria danae'' van Leyen & van der Spoel, 1982 * '' 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 schmidti schmidti'' van Leyen & van der Spoel, 1982 * '' Diacria trispinosa'' ( 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.

Clioinae

Clioinae Jeffreys, 1869 = Family Cliidae Jeffreys, 1869 This family name has for a long time been Clioidae with the type genus ''Clio''. Unfortunately this is often confused with another molluscan family Clionidae, which has the type genus ''Clione''. The

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

(ICZN) has therefore changed the name back to its original spelling Cliidae Jeffreys, 1869, type genus ''Clio'' Linnaeus, 1767 Genus ''

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; ), also spelled Kleio, Сleio, or Cleo, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre-playing. Etymology Clio's name is derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλείω (meaning ...

, 1767 (synonyms: ''Cleodora'' Peron & Lesueur, 1810; ''Euclio'' Bonnevie, 1912 ) All species in this genus are characterised by a bilaterally symmetric, straight or adapically dorso-ventrally slightly curved shell, with an elliptical to triangular transverse section; protoconch clearly separated, globular or elliptical, frequently with a spine at the tip. Subgenera are used for some species (e.g. ''Clio'' s.str., ''Balantium'' Bellardi, 1872, ''Bellardiclio'' Janssen, 2004), but most species cannot yet be assigned to one of these. Numerous fossil species have been described. Recognised extant species are: * '' Clio andreae'' (Boas, 1886) ** Distribution : north Atlantic, bathypelagic species. * '' Clio antarctica'' Dall, 1908 * '' Clio australis'': synonym of ''Clione limacina australis'' (Bruguière, 1792) * '' Clio bartletti'' van der Spoel, 1978 ** Distribution: central Atlantic (Pleistocene fossil). * '' Clio campylura'' (Tesch, 1948) * '' Clio chaptalii'' J. E. Gray, 1850 ** Distribution : tropical, circumglobal. * '' Clio convexa convexa'' Boas, 1886 ** Distribution: tropical, Indo-Pacific * '' Clio convexa cyphosa'' Rampal, 2002 ** Distribution: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden). * '' Clio cuspidata'' (

Bosc Bosc may refer to: * Bosc pear, a cultivar of the European Pear * Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC), an academic conference * Gobiosoma bosc, a fish of family Gobiidae People * Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc (1759–1828), French bota ...

, 1802) ** Distribution : tropical/subtropical, circumglobal. * '' Clio orthotheca'' (Tesch, 1904) * '' Clio piatkowskii'' van der Spoel, Schalk & Bleeker, 1992 ** Distribution: Antarctic. * '' Clio polita'' Pelseneer, 1888 * '' Clio pyramidata''

, 1767 ** Distribution : north Atlantic ** Height : to over 20 mm. Formae: *** forma ''excisa'' van der Spoel, 1963 *** forma ''lanceolata'' Lesueur, 1813 (tropical/subtropical, circumglobal) *** forma ''martensi'' (Pfeiffer, 1880) ?? *** forma ''sulcata'' (Pfeffer, 1879) The true status of these formae has to be evaluated, they might be real formae, subspecies, or even species. * '' Clio recurva'' (Children, 1823) ** Distribution : tropical-subtropical, circumglobal (bathypelagic species)** *** Height: to over 30 mm * Clio sulcata (Pfeffer, 1879)

Cuvierininae

This subfamily has been raised to the rank of family Cuvierinidae van der Spoel, 1967 Bouchet, P. (2012). Cuvierinidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=411906 on 19 July 2012 Extinct genera: * '' Spoelia'' Janssen, 1990 ** '' Spoelia torquayensis'' Janssen, 1990 – (Late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

, Early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

) * '' Johnjagtia'' Janssen, 2005 – (Early Miocene) ** '' Johnjagtia moulinsi'' (Benoist, 1873) – (Early Miocene) * '' Ireneia'' Janssen, 1995 ** '' Ireneia tenuistriata'' (Semper, 1861) – (Late Oligocene) ** '' Ireneia nieulandei'' Janssen, 1995 – (Early Miocene) ** '' Ireneia calandrellii'' (Michelotti, 1847) – (Early Miocene) ** '' Ireneia testudinaria'' (Michelotti, 1847) – (Early-Middle Miocene) ** '' Ireneia gracilis'' Janssen, 2005 – (Middle Miocene) ** '' Ireneia marqueti'' Janssen, 1995 – (Late Miocene) Extant genera: * Genus '' Cuvierina'' Boas, 1886 ''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' The genus ''Cuvierina'' developed from the ''Ireneia'' lineage during the Early Miocene and is split in two subgenera: ** Subgenus ''Cuvierina'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

'' ''Extant species'': *** '' Cuvierina columnella'' (Rang, 1827) – (Indo-Pacific) *** '' Cuvierina atlantica'' Bé, MacClintock & Currie, 1972 – (Atlantic) *** '' Cuvierina pacifica'' Janssen, 2005 – (Pacific) ''Extinct species'': *** '' Cuvierina torpedo'' (Marshall, 1918) – (Early Miocene) *** '' Cuvierina paronai'' Checchia-Rispoli, 1921 – (Middle – Late Miocene) *** '' Cuvierina grandis'' d'Alessandro & Robba, 1980 – (Late Miocene) *** '' Cuvierina jagti'' Janssen, 1995 – (Late Miocene) *** '' Cuvierina ludbrooki'' (Caprotti, 1962) – (

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Cuvierina miyazakiensis'' Ujihara, 1996 – (Pliocene) *** '' Cuvierina astesana'' (Rang, 1829) – (Pliocene) ** Subgenus ''Urceolarica'' Janssen, 2006 ''Extant species'': *** '' Cuvierina urceolaris'' Mörch, 1850 – (Indo-Pacific) *** '' Cuvierina cancapae'' Janssen, 2005 – (Atlantic) ''Extinct species'': *** '' Cuvierina intermedia'' (Bellardi, 1873) (Middle Miocene – Pliocene) *** '' Cuvierina curryi'' Janssen, 2005 (Middle Miocene) *** '' Cuvierina inflata'' (Bellardi, 1873) (Late Miocene – Pliocene)

Creseinae

Creseinae Curry, 1982 Genus '' Creseis'' Rang, 1828 This subfamily has been raised to the rank of family Creseidae, belonging to the superfamily Limacinoidea. The shells of the species in this genus have the form of a more or less narrow, conically widening tube. * '' Creseis chierchiae'' Boas, 1886 ** Distribution : tropical-subtropical, circumglobal. ** Length: shell up to 9 mm high. ** Description: shell straight or slightly curved, initially slowly, later hardly increasing in diameter, with clear annulations,

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called " ...

with rounded tip, followed by a distinct swelling. A form with lacking annulations, also known as a Pliocene fossil, is described as ''C. chierchiae'' forma '' constricta'' Chen & Bé, 1964. * '' Creseis clava'' (Rang, 1828) (synonym: ''Creseis acicula'' (Rang, 1828) ** Distribution : tropical-subtropical, circumglobal. ** Length: shell is up to 35 mm high. ** Description : shell, long and straight or slightly irregular, with small apical angle, circular in cross section; smooth shell surface; protoconch without swelling; there is a characteristic tentacular lobe on the * '' Creseis conica'' Eschscholtz, 1829 ** Distribution : tropical-subtropical, circumglobal. ** Length: shell height up to 20 mm. ** Description : shell straight or slightly curved, with a wider apical angle than ''C. clava'', transverse section circular, protoconch slightly swollen. * '' Creseis virgula'' (Rang, 1828) ** Distribution : tropical-subtropical, circumglobal. ** Length: shell height up to 12 mm ** Description : shell with circular transverse section, curved in its basal part. Genus '' Hyalocylis'' Fol, 1875 * '' Hyalocylis striata'' (Rang, 1828) ** Distribution : tropical-suntropical, circumglobal. ** Length : 10 mm ** Description : shell slightly curved dorsally, with distinct annulations, transverse section initially circular, later slightly dorso-ventrally compressed. The animal is often easily recognised by the very large fins. Genus '' Styliola'' Gray, 1850 (synonyms: ''Cleodora recta'' Blainville, 1825; ''Cleodora subula'' Quoy & Gaimard, 1827 (

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

); ''Creseis spinifera'' Rang, 1828) * '' Styliola subula'' ( Quoy &

Gaimard Joseph Paul Gaimard (31 January 1793 – 10 December 1858) was a French naval surgeon and naturalist. Biography Gaimard was born at Saint-Zacharie on January 31, 1793. He studied medicine at the naval medical school in Toulon, subsequent ...

, 1827) ** Distribution : tropical-suntropical, circumglobal, absent in the Red Sea. ** Length : 13 mm ** Description : needle-like shell, transparent and round in cross-section. A prominent oblique dorsal furrow runs from a short distance above the protoconch to the aperture, building a toothlike process. There is no tentacular lobe on the anterior margin of the fins.

References

* Vaught, K.C. (1989). ''A classification of the living Mollusca''. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). . XII, 195 pp.