Diaphanidae 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 ...

of small

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, marine

opisthobranch Opisthobranchs () is now an 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. Euopisth ...

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 ...

mollusc 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 esti ...

s or

micromollusk A micromollusk is a shelled mollusk which is extremely small, even at full adult size. The word is usually, but not exclusively, applied to marine mollusks, although in addition, numerous species of land snails and freshwater mollusks also ...

s in the

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

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 shell The gastropod shell is part of the body of a Gastropoda, gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium s ...

Distribution

Species in this family are found in cold seas, such as the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

region,

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Habitat

The species occur in the

sublittoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal area ...

abyssal The abyssal zone or abyssopelagic zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. "Abyss" derives from the Greek word , meaning bottomless. At depths of , this zone remains in perpetual darkness. It covers 83% of the total area of the ocean a ...

zones.

Shell description

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 The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

Genera

Genera within the family Diaphanidae include:

Subfamily Diaphaninae

*Genus '' Austrodiaphana''

Pilsbry Henry Augustus Pilsbry (7 December 1862 – 26 October 1957) was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a centu ...

, 1893 **'' Austrodiaphan brazieri'' Angas, 1877 ***Distribution :

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

***Length : 8 mm **'' Austrodiaphana colei'' Fleming, 1948 ***Distribution :

**'' Austrodiaphana flemingi'' Powell, 1952 ***Distribution : New Zealand **'' Austrodiaphana maunganuica'' Powell, 1952 ***Distribution : New Zealand *Genus '' Colobocephalus'' Sars M., 1870 **'' Colobocephalus costellatus'', Sars M., 1870 **'' Colobocephalus striatulus'' Monterosato ex Jeffreys, 1874 ***Distribution :

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

*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 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''sever ...

, 1870 ***Distribution : Southern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, western

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

***Length : 5 mm ***Description : the bubble shell is completely enclosed by the mantle; two prominent

rhinophores A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea ha ...

on the head, leading to a groove along each side of the head; right posterior siphon **'' Colpodaspis thompsoni'' Brown, 1979 ***Distribution : tropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

***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

rhinophore A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea har ...

s on the head; the eyes are the two black spots on the head, just in front of the shell; *Genus '' Diaphana'' Brown, 1827 **'' Diaphana abyssalis'' T. Schiøtte, 1998 ***Distribution : Western

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

**'' Diaphana anderssoni'' H. Strebel, 1908 ***Distribution : South Georgia **'' Diaphana caribaea'' Espinosa, J., J.Ortea & J.Magaña, 2001 ***Distribution :

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

***Length : 2 mm **'' Diaphana cretica'' ***Distribution : Mediterranean **'' Diaphana expansa'' (Jeffreys, 1864) ***Distribution : Norway to the

Scilly Isles The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

. **'' Diaphana floridana'' Dall, 1927 ***Distribution : Georgia ***Length : 4 mm **'' Diaphana globosa'' Lovén, 1846 ***Distribution :

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

***Length : 4 mm **'' Diaphana haini'' Linse, K. & T. Schiøtte, 2002 ***Distribution :

***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 North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

***Length : 8.5 mm **'' Diaphana makarovi'' G.B. Gorbunov, 1946 ***Distribution : East Greenland ***Length : 3 mm **'' Diaphana mauretaniensis'' T. Schiøtte, 1998 ***Distribution :

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

**'' Diaphana minuta'' Brown, 1827 ***Distribution : Greenland, Scandinavia, Iceland,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, North

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

down to the Canaries and the Mediterranean,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. ***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

whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

s. The body whorl is prominent. Minute apex. Deep suture between the whorls. Deep umbilicus. **'' Diaphana pacifica'' T. Schiøtte, 1998 ***Distribution :

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

**'' Diaphana paessleri'' H. Strebel, 1905 ***Distribution : Falklands;

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...

; South Georgia;

South Orkneys The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...

;

Kerguelen The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a archipelago, group of islands in the subantarctic, sub-Antarctic constituting one of the two exposed parts of the ...

. ***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 Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

***Length : 3.8 mm *Genus '' Newnesia'' E. A. Smith, 1902 (''incertae sedis'') **'' Newnesia antarctica'' E. A. Smith, 1902 ***Distribution :

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...

(Antarctica) ***Length : 17–30 mm **'' Newnesia sphinx'' Strebel H., 1908 ***Distribution : Paulet Insel (Antarctic Peninsula) ***Length : 24.8 mm *Genus '' Rhinodiaphana'' Lemche, 1967 **'' Rhinodiaphana ventricosa'' Jeffreys, 1865 *Genus '' Woodbridgea'' Berry, 1953 **'' Woodbridgea polystrigma'' Dall, 1908 (furrowed paper-bubble) ***Distribution : America ** '' Woodbridgea williamsi'' S.S. Berry, 1953Berry, Samuel Stillman. "Notices of new west American marine Mollusca." San Diego Society of Natural History, vol. 11, 1953
/ref> ***Distribution : West-America

Subfamily Toledoniinae

* '' Bogasonia'' Warén, 1989 **'' Bogasonia gorjachevi'' Chaban, 1998 - Distribution:

Kurile Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...

. **'' Bogasonia volutoides'' Warén, 1989 - Distribution:

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. Found at depths between 100–200 m. *'' Toledonia'' Dall, 1902

References

External links

* * 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''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3142690