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Limacina
''Limacina'' is a genus of swimming predatory sea snails commonly known as sea butterflies in the family Limacinidae. This genus contains some of the world's most abundant gastropod species.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2012). Limacina. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138122 on 2012-07-18 Etymological meaning of the generic name ''Limacina'' is "snail-like". As pelagic marine gastropods, ''Limacina'' swim by flapping their parapodia, inspiring the common name sea butterflies. Sea butterflies are part of the clade Thecosomata. Sea angels, similar to ''Limacina'', are in the order Gymnosomata. Both of these orders are still referred to as "pteropods". Sea butterflies of the order Thecosomata have a shell, while sea angels in the order Gymnosomata do not. Shell description The shells of ''Limacina'' are well developed, sinistrally coiled, turret-like, and include an operculum. Shell size and thickness var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limacina Helicina
''Limacina helicina'' is a species of small swimming planktonic sea snail in the family Limacinidae, which belong to the group commonly known as sea butterflies (Thecosomata). ''Limacina helicina'' is a keystone species of mesozooplankton in Arctic pelagic ecosystems. The first written record of this species was by Friderich Martens from Spitsbergen in 1675. ''Limacina helicina'' was also observed during a 1773 expedition to the Arctic led by Constantine John Phipps on the ships HMS ''Racehorse'' and on HMS ''Carcass'' and the species was described one year later, in 1774. ''Limacina helicina'' is the type species of the genus ''Limacina''. In contrast to the traditional view, it was shown in 2010 that the distribution of this species is not bipolar; Arctic and Antarctic individuals belong to two genetically distinct species: ''Limacina helicina'' in the Arctic, and ''Limacina antarctica'' in the Antarctic. Subspecies * ''Limacina helicina helicina'' (Phipps, 1774)Bouc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limacina Atypica
''Limacina'' is a genus of swimming predatory sea snails commonly known as sea butterflies in the family Limacinidae. This genus contains some of the world's most abundant gastropod species.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2012). Limacina. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138122 on 2012-07-18 Etymological meaning of the generic name ''Limacina'' is "snail-like". As pelagic marine gastropods, ''Limacina'' swim by flapping their parapodia, inspiring the common name sea butterflies. Sea butterflies are part of the clade Thecosomata. Sea angels, similar to ''Limacina'', are in the order Gymnosomata. Both of these orders are still referred to as "pteropods". Sea butterflies of the order Thecosomata have a shell, while sea angels in the order Gymnosomata do not. Shell description The shells of ''Limacina'' are well developed, sinistrally coiled, turret-like, and include an operculum. Shell size and thickness var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limacinidae
The Limacinidae are a family of small sea snails, pteropods, pelagic marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Thecosomata (sea butterflies).Bouchet, P. (2012). Limacinidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=13704 on 2012-07-18 Genera Genera within the family Limacinidae include: * '' Altaspiratella'' Korobkov, 1966 - synonym: ''Plotophysops'' Curry, 1982Cahuzac B. & Janssen A. W. (2010). "Eocene to Miocene holoplanktonic Mollusca (Gastropoda) of the Aquitaine Basin, southwest France". ''Scripta Geologica'' 141: http://www.scriptageologica.nl/10/nr141/a01 ** † ''A. elongatoidea'' (Aldrich, 1887) - type species of the genus ''Altaspiratella'' ** † ''A. bearnensis'' (Curry, 1982) ** † ''A. multispira'' (Curry, 1982) * '' Currylimacina'' Janssen, 2003Janssen A. W. (2003). "Notes on the systematics, morphology and biostratigraphy of fossil holoplanktonic Mollusca, 13. Considerations on a subdivision of Thec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thecosomata
Sea butterflies, scientific name Thecosomata (thecosomes, "case / shell-body"), are a taxonomic suborder of small pelagic swimming sea snails. They are holoplanktonic opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. Most Thecosomata have some form of calcified shell, although it is often very light and / or transparent. The sea butterflies include some of the world's most abundant gastropod species, and because of their large numbers are an essential part of the food chain, and a significant contributor to the oceanic carbon cycle. The sea butterflies are included in the Pteropoda order, and are also included in the informal group Opisthobranchia. Morphology Sea butterflies float and swim freely in the water, and are carried along with the currents. This has led to a number of adaptations in their bodies. The shell and the gill have disappeared in several families. Their gastropodal foot has taken the form of two wing-like lobes, or ''parapodia'', which propel the animal through the sea by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Butterflies
Sea butterflies, scientific name Thecosomata (thecosomes, "case / shell-body"), are a taxonomic suborder of small pelagic swimming sea snails. They are holoplanktonic opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. Most Thecosomata have some form of calcified shell, although it is often very light and / or transparent. The sea butterflies include some of the world's most abundant gastropod species, and because of their large numbers are an essential part of the food chain, and a significant contributor to the oceanic carbon cycle. The sea butterflies are included in the Pteropoda order, and are also included in the informal group Opisthobranchia. Morphology Sea butterflies float and swim freely in the water, and are carried along with the currents. This has led to a number of adaptations in their bodies. The shell and the gill have disappeared in several families. Their gastropodal foot has taken the form of two wing-like lobes, or ''parapodia'', which propel the animal through the sea by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pteropods
Pteropoda ( common name pteropods, from the Greek meaning "wing-foot") are specialized free-swimming pelagic sea snails and sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropods. Most live in the top 10 m of the ocean and are less than 1 cm long. The monophyly of Pteropoda is the subject of a lengthy debate; they have even been considered as paraphyletic with respect to cephalopods. Current consensus, guided by molecular studies, leans towards interpreting the group as monophyletic. Pteropoda encompasses the two clades Thecosomata, the sea butterflies, and Gymnosomata, the sea angels. The Thecosomata ( "case-body") have a shell, while the Gymnosomata ("naked body") do not. The two clades may or may not be sister taxa; if not, their similarity (in that they are both pelagic, small, and transparent, and both groups swim using wing-like flaps (parapodia) which protrude from their bodies) may reflect adaptation to their particular lifestyle. Taxonomy The group Pteropoda was establis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Butterfly
Sea butterflies, scientific name Thecosomata (thecosomes, "case / shell-body"), are a taxonomic suborder of small pelagic swimming sea snails. They are holoplanktonic opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. Most Thecosomata have some form of calcified shell, although it is often very light and / or transparent. The sea butterflies include some of the world's most abundant gastropod species, and because of their large numbers are an essential part of the food chain, and a significant contributor to the oceanic carbon cycle. The sea butterflies are included in the Pteropoda order, and are also included in the informal group Opisthobranchia. Morphology Sea butterflies float and swim freely in the water, and are carried along with the currents. This has led to a number of adaptations in their bodies. The shell and the gill have disappeared in several families. Their gastropodal foot has taken the form of two wing-like lobes, or ''parapodia'', which propel the animal through the sea by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gymnosomata
Sea angels ( clade Gymnosomata) are a large group of small free-swimming sea slugs, not to be confused with Cnidarians (Jellyfish and other similar creatures), classified into six different families. They are pelagic opisthobranchs in the clade Gymnosomata within the larger mollusc clade Heterobranchia. Sea angels were previously referred to as a type of pteropod. Sea angels are also sometimes known as "cliones" but this is potentially misleading because the family Clionidae is just one of the families within this clade. Recent molecular data suggest the Gymnosomata form a sister group to the Thecosomata (other planktonic, weakly or nonmineralized gastropods), but this long-standing hypothesis has also had some recent detractors. Fossils of the group go back to the Middle Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period. Distribution These organisms have a wide geographic range, from polar regions, under sea ice, to equatorial (tropic) seas. Description In this clade, the foo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Angels
Sea angels (clade Gymnosomata) are a large group of small free-swimming sea slugs, not to be confused with Cnidarians (Jellyfish and other similar creatures), classified into six different families. They are pelagic opisthobranchs in the clade Gymnosomata within the larger mollusc clade Heterobranchia. Sea angels were previously referred to as a type of pteropod. Sea angels are also sometimes known as "cliones" but this is potentially misleading because the family Clionidae is just one of the families within this clade. Recent molecular data suggest the Gymnosomata form a sister group to the Thecosomata (other planktonic, weakly or nonmineralized gastropods), but this long-standing hypothesis has also had some recent detractors. Fossils of the group go back to the Middle Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian period. Distribution These organisms have a wide geographic range, from polar regions, under sea ice, to equatorial (tropic) seas. Description In this clade, the foot of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pelagic
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the surface of the sea and the bottom. Conditions in the water column change with depth: pressure increases; temperature and light decrease; salinity, oxygen, micronutrients (such as iron, magnesium and calcium) all change. Marine life is affected by bathymetry (underwater topography) such as the seafloor, shoreline, or a submarine seamount, as well as by proximity to the boundary between the ocean and the atmosphere at the ocean surface, which brings light for photosynthesis, predation from above, and wind stirring up waves and setting currents in motion. The pelagic zone refers to the open, free waters away from the shore, where marine life can swim freely in any direction unhindered by topographical constraints. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate subphylum Vertebrata. Familiar examples of invertebrates include arthropods, mollusks, annelids, echinoderms and cnidarians. The majority of animal species are invertebrates; one estimate puts the figure at 97%. Many invertebrate taxa have a greater number and variety of species than the entire subphylum of Vertebrata. Invertebrates vary widely in size, from 50 μm (0.002 in) rotifers to the 9–10 m (30–33 ft) colossal squid. Some so-called invertebrates, such as the Tunicata and Cephalochordata, are more closely related to vertebrates than to other invertebrates. This makes the invertebrates paraphyletic, so the term has little meaning in taxonomy. Etymology The word "invertebrate" comes from the Latin word ''vertebra'', whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations. The first seabirds evolved in the Cretaceous period, and modern seabird families emerged in the Paleogene. In general, seabirds live longer, breed later and have fewer young than other birds do, but they invest a great deal of time in their young. Most species nest in colonies, which can vary in size from a few dozen birds to millions. Many species are famous for undertaking long annual migrations, crossing the equator or circumnavigating the Earth in some cases. They feed both at the ocean's surface and below it, and even feed on each other. Seabirds can be highly pelagic, coastal, or in some cases spend a part of the year away from the sea entirely. Seabirds and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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