Janthinidae

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Janthinidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Orthogastropoda
Superorder: Caenogastropoda
Order: Sorbeoconcha
Suborder: Hypsogastropoda
Infraorder: Ptenoglossa
Superfamily: Epitonioidea
Family: Janthinidae
Lamarck, 1822
Genera

See text.

Janthinidae, or the purple snails or violet snails, are a family of pelagic sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the informal group Ptenoglossa of the clade Hypsogastropoda.

Contents

[edit] Distribution

Species in this pelagic family are found drifting world-wide in warm seas.

[edit] Description

The purple snails are pelagic, drifting on the oceans' surface, where they feed upon jellyfishes, especially the by-the-wind sailor Velella. Purple snails consruct a raft of clear chitin, imprisoning air bubbles, and this provides the buoyancy to keep the animal at the surface.

[edit] Genera in the family Janthinidae

  • Janthina Röding, 1798
  • Recluzia Petit de la Saussaye, 1853

[edit] References