Pneumodermatidae

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 clade 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.

Genera

Genera within the family Pneumodermatidae include:

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.
  • • 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, sub-Antarctic, Antarctica, Oceanic. Length: 22 mm.
• Spongiobranchaea intermedia Pruvot-Fol, 1926 - Distribution: Oceanic. image

Genus Abranchaea Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975

• Abranchaea chinensis Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975

Genus Platybrachium Minichev, 1976