Cavoliniidae
The family Cavoliniidae is a taxonomic group of small floating sea snails, pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks.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 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, which produce a minute water current tha ...
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