Diaphanidae
| Diaphanidae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Order: | Cephalaspidea |
| Superfamily: | Diaphanoidea |
| Family: | Diaphanidae Odhner, 1922 |
Diaphanidae is a taxonomic family of small sea snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the superfamily Diaphanoidea, the headshield slugs and bubble snails.
The little-known species in this family have small, flimsy, almost globular shells, known as paper bubble gastropod shells.
Distribution[edit]
Species in this family are found in cold seas, such as the Arctic region, Antarctica, Australia, and New Zealand.
Habitat[edit]
The species occur in the sublittoral to abyssal zones.
Shell description[edit]
The shell is minute, thin, fragile, colorless to translucent, and usually less than 5 mm in size. The overall shape is ovate, pear-shaped, and bulbous. There is a sunken apex.
Genera[edit]
Genera within the family Diaphanidae include:
Subfamily Diaphaninae[edit]
- Genus Austrodiaphana Pilsbry, 1893
- Austrodiaphan brazieri Angas, 1877
- Distribution : Western Australia
- Length : 8 mm
- Austrodiaphana colei Fleming, 1948
- Distribution : New Zealand
- Austrodiaphana flemingi Powell, 1952
- Distribution : New Zealand
- Austrodiaphana maunganuica Powell, 1952
- Distribution : New Zealand
- Austrodiaphan brazieri Angas, 1877
- Genus Colobocephalus Sars M., 1870
- Colobocephalus costellatus, Sars M., 1870
- Colobocephalus striatulus Monterosato ex Jeffreys, 1874
- Distribution : Mediterranean
- Genus Colpodaspis M. Sars, 1870 (incertae sedis) The sole of the foot contains a gland that secretes a mucous fluid, which helps the little animal to stay attached to stems and algae.
- Colpodaspis punctata Clark, 1837
- Distribution : Mediterranean
- Colpodaspis pusilla Sars, 1870
- Distribution : Southern Norway, Great Britain, western Ireland
- Length : 5 mm
- Description : the bubble shell is completely enclosed by the mantle; two prominent rhinophores on the head, leading to a groove along each side of the head; right posterior siphon
- Colpodaspis thompsoni Brown, 1979
- Distribution : tropical Indo-Pacific, Okinawa, Christmas Island
- Length : 3 mm
- Description : black sea slug with yellow warts on a white background; the mantle encloses the bubble-shaped fragile shell; there is a pair of enrolled rhinophores on the head; the eyes are the two black spots on the head, just in front of the shell;
- Colpodaspis punctata Clark, 1837
- Genus Diaphana Brown, 1827
- Diaphana abyssalis T. Schiøtte, 1998
- Distribution : Western Atlantic
- Diaphana anderssoni H. Strebel, 1908
- Distribution : South Georgia
- Diaphana caribaea Espinosa, J., J.Ortea & J.Magaña, 2001
- Distribution : Cuba
- Length : 2 mm
- Diaphana cretica
- Distribution : Mediterranean
- Diaphana expansa (Jeffreys, 1864)
- Distribution : Norway to the Scilly Isles.
- Diaphana floridana Dall, 1927
- Distribution : Georgia
- Length : 4 mm
- Diaphana globosa Lovén, 1846
- Distribution : Scandinavia
- Length : 4 mm
- Diaphana haini Linse, K. & T. Schiøtte, 2002
- Distribution : Antarctica
- Length : 2.2 mm
- Diaphana hiemalis (Couthouy, J.P., 1839) (synonym of Diaphana minuta)
- Diaphana inflata (Strebel, H., 1908)
- Distribution : South Georgia
- Length : 2.4 mm
- Diaphana lactea Jeffreys, 1877
- Distribution : Mediterranean, Norway
- Diaphana lottae K.J. Bush, 1893
- Distribution : North Carolina
- Length : 8.5 mm
- Diaphana makarovi G.B. Gorbunov, 1946
- Distribution : East Greenland
- Length : 3 mm
- Diaphana mauretaniensis T. Schiøtte, 1998
- Distribution : Mauretania
- Diaphana minuta Brown, 1827
- Distribution : Greenland, Scandinavia, Iceland, Scotland, North Spain down to the Canaries and the Mediterranean, Massachusetts.
- Length: 5.8 mm
- Description : found in sandy bottoms from the low tide level to a depth of 350 m; thin, fragile, smooth, cylindrical shell with convex whorls. The body whorl is prominent. Minute apex. Deep suture between the whorls. Deep umbilicus.
- Diaphana pacifica T. Schiøtte, 1998
- Distribution : Southern California
- Diaphana paessleri H. Strebel, 1905
- Distribution : Falklands; Tierra del Fuego; South Georgia; South Orkneys; Weddell Sea, Antarctica; Kerguelen.
- Length : 3.3 mm
- Diaphana pfefferi H. Strebel, 1905
- Distribution : South Georgia
- Length : 2.9 mm
- Diaphana quadrata
- Distribution : Mediterranean
- Diaphana seguenzae R.B. Watson, 1886
- Distribution : NE Brazil
- Length : 3.8 mm
- Diaphana abyssalis T. Schiøtte, 1998
- Genus Newnesia E. A. Smith, 1902 (incertae sedis)
- Newnesia antarctica E. A. Smith, 1902
- Distribution : Weddell Sea (Antarctica)
- Length : 17–30 mm
- Newnesia sphinx Strebel H., 1908
- Distribution : Paulet Insel (Antarctic Peninsula)
- Length : 24.8 mm
- Newnesia antarctica E. A. Smith, 1902
- Genus Rhinodiaphana Lemche, 1967
- Rhinodiaphana ventricosa Jeffreys, 1865
- Genus Woodbridgea Berry, 1953
- Woodbridgea polystrigma Dall, 1908 (furrowed paper-bubble[1])
- Distribution : America
- Woodbridgea williamsi S.S. Berry, 1953[2]
- Distribution : West-America
- Woodbridgea polystrigma Dall, 1908 (furrowed paper-bubble[1])
Subfamily Toledoniinae[edit]
- Bogasonia Warén, 1989
- Bogasonia gorjachevi Chaban, 1998 - Distribution: Kurile Islands.
- Bogasonia volutoides Warén, 1989 - Distribution: Iceland. Found at depths between 100 and 200 m.
- Toledonia Dall, 1902
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- "Diaphanidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- Bois-Reymond Marcus, E. D. (1976): A taxonomic survey of the genus Toledonia Dall, 1902 (Opistobranchia, Diaphanidae). Zool. Scripta 5: 25-33
- Photo of Colpodaspis thompsoni