Pneumodermatidae

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Pneumodermatidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Orthogastropoda
Superorder: Heterobranchia
Order: Opisthobranchia
Suborder: Gymnosomata
Family: Pneumodermatidae
(Latreille, 1825)
Genera

Pneumodermatidae is a family of sea angels, or small floating predatory sea snails or sea slugs. They are pelagic marine heterobranch opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the order Gymnosomata.

These small pelagic snails 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.

[edit] Genera and species within the family Pneumodermatidae

Genus: Pneumoderma de Roissy, 1805

  • Pneumoderma atlanticum Oken, 1815
  • Pneumoderma degraaffi van der Spoel & Pafort-van Iersel, 1982
  • Pneumoderma mediterraneum van Beneden, 1838
  • 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

Genus Abranchaea Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975

  • Abranchaea chinensis Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975

Genus Platybrachium Minichev, 1976

[edit] References