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Pneumodermatidae

Pneumodermatidae
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Orthogastropoda
Heterobranchia
Opisthobranchia
Gymnosomata
Pneumodermatidae
Genera

Pneumoderma
Pneumodermopsis
Schizobrachium
Spongiobranchaea
Abranchaea
Platybrachium


The small pelagic snails of the family Pneumodermatidae (Latreille, 1825) lack a shell (except in their early embryonic stage). They are carnivores, equipped with swimming parapoda (fleshy, winglike outgrowths), strong jaws and grasping tentacles, often with suckers resembling those of cephalopods.

A more comprehensive discussion can be found under the entry Sea angel.

Genus: Pneumoderma de Roissy, 1805

  • Pneumoderma atlanticum Oken, 1815
  • Pneumoderma degraaffi van der Spoel & Pafort-van Iersel, 1982
    • Distribution: Sargasso Sea, Oceanic
    • Length : 11.8 mm
  • Pneumoderma mediterraneum van Beneden, 1838
    • Distribution : Florida, Brazil, Mediterranean, Oceanic
    • Length : 20 mm
  • Pneumoderma peronii Lamarck, 1819
    • Distribution : Red Sea
  • Pneumoderma violaceum d'Orbigny, 1836
    • Distribution : Bermuda, Oceanic
    • Length: 25 mm
    • Description : This pteropod grabs its prey with two powerful suckers, each with about 30 suctorial disks. Then it bulges out its long proboscis.
    • Subspecies :
      • Pneumoderma violaceum pacificum Dall, 1871
      • Pneumoderma violaceum violaceum d’Orbigny, 1836

Genus: Pneumodermopsis Keferstein, 1862

  • Pneumodermopsis canephora Pruvot-Fol, 1924
  • Pneumodermopsis ciliata (Gegenbaur, 1855)
    • Distribution : circumglobal, Oceanic
    • Description : possesses five tentacles, each ending in a big suctorial disk.
  • Pneumodermopsis macrochira Meisenheimer, 1905
    • Distribution : Oceanic
  • Pneumodermopsis michaelsarsi Bonnevie, 1913
    • Distribution : Bermuda, Oceanic
  • Pneumodermopsis oligocotyla Massy, 1917
  • Pneumodermopsis paucidens (Boas, 1886)
    • Distribution: Brazil, Oceanic
    • Length : 5 mm
  • Pneumodermopsis pupula Pruvot-Fol, 1926
  • Pneumodermopsis spoeli Newman & greenwood, 1988
    • Distriburion : Australia
  • Pneumodermopsis teschi van der Spoel, 1973
    • Distribution : Oceanic

Genus Schizobrachium Meisenheimer, 1903

  • Schizobrachium polycotylum Meisenheimer, 1903
    • Distribution: Oceanic

Genus Spongiobranchaea d'Orbigny, 1836

  • Spongiobranchaea australis d'Orbigny, 1836
    • Distribution: Argentina, Australia, Subantarctic, Antarctic, Oceanic
    • Length : 22 mm
  • Spongiobranchaea intermedia Pruvot-Fol, 1926
    • Distribution : Oceanic

Genus Abranchaea Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975

  • Abranchaea chinensis Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975

Genus Platybrachium Minichev, 1976



07-14-2008 23:18:10
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