The Aplustridae is a

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

s or bubble snails,

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

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" (Hete ...

. 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 mad ...

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=taxde ...

'' 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 **De ...

'' 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'' Pe ...

'' 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 na ...

'' 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 taxonomic family of sea snails or bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfam ...

'' 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 aroun ...

'' 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 taxonomic family of sea snails or bubble ...

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

Hydatina physis ''Hydatina physis'' is a species of sea snail, a bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Aplustridae. Its common names include striped paper bubble, green-lined paper bubble, brown-lined paper bubble, and rose pe ...

'' 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 The Aplustridae is a taxonomic family of sea snails or bubble snails, marine ga ...

'' 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 mollusk in the family Aplustridae. Description This species has a white shell with black to brownish ...

'' 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, Flor ...

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

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3175417 Taxa named by John Edward Gray