Pneumodermatidae
Encyclopedia
Pneumodermatidae is a family
of sea angel
s, or small floating predatory sea snail
s or sea slug
s. They are pelagic marine
heterobranch
opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the clade
Gymnosomata.
These small pelagic snails lack a shell (except in their early embryo
nic stage). They are carnivore
s, equipped with swimming parapoda (fleshy, winglike outgrowths), strong jaws and grasping tentacles, often with suckers resembling those of Cephalopod
s.
A more comprehensive discussion can be found under the entry sea angel
.
Genus: Pneumoderma de Roissy, 1805
Genus: Pneumodermopsis Keferstein, 1862
Genus Schizobrachium Meisenheimer, 1903
Genus Spongiobranchaea d'Orbigny, 1836
Genus Abranchaea Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975
Genus Platybrachium Minichev, 1976
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of sea angel
Sea angel
Sea angels previously known as one kind of pteropod, are a large group of small swimming sea slugs in six different families. These are pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs in the clade Gymnosomata within the larger clade Heterobranchia....
s, or small floating predatory sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s or sea slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s. They are pelagic marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
heterobranch
Heterobranchia
Heterobranchia, the heterobranchs or Euthyneura, is a taxonomic clade of snails and slugs, which includes species from the sea, the land and freshwater; marine, aquatic and terrestrial gastropod mollusks....
opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
Gymnosomata.
These small pelagic snails lack a shell (except in their early embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
nic stage). They are carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
s, equipped with swimming parapoda (fleshy, winglike outgrowths), strong jaws and grasping tentacles, often with suckers resembling those of Cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s.
A more comprehensive discussion can be found under the entry sea angel
Sea angel
Sea angels previously known as one kind of pteropod, are a large group of small swimming sea slugs in six different families. These are pelagic marine opisthobranch gastropod molluscs in the clade Gymnosomata within the larger clade Heterobranchia....
.
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 SeaSargasso SeaThe Sargasso Sea is a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by ocean currents. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. This...
, Oceanic. Length: 11.8 mm. - Pneumoderma mediterraneum van Beneden, 1838 - Distribution: FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Mediterranean, Oceanic. Length: 20 mm. - Pneumoderma peronii LamarckJean-Baptiste LamarckJean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de la Marck , often known simply as Lamarck, was a French naturalist...
, 1819 - Distribution: Red Sea. - Pneumoderma violaceum d'OrbignyAlcide d'OrbignyAlcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
, 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'OrbignyAlcide d'OrbignyAlcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
, 1836
-
Genus: Pneumodermopsis Keferstein, 1862
- Pneumodermopsis canephora Pruvot-FolAlice Pruvot-FolAlice Pruvot-Fol was a French opisthobranch malacologist.She was the author of many new species, mostly described on the basis of preserved animals....
, 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-FolAlice Pruvot-FolAlice Pruvot-Fol was a French opisthobranch malacologist.She was the author of many new species, mostly described on the basis of preserved animals....
, 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'OrbignyAlcide d'OrbignyAlcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
, 1836 - Distribution: ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, sub-AntarcticAntarcticThe Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
, Antarctica, Oceanic. Length: 22 mm. - Spongiobranchaea intermedia Pruvot-FolAlice Pruvot-FolAlice Pruvot-Fol was a French opisthobranch malacologist.She was the author of many new species, mostly described on the basis of preserved animals....
, 1926 - Distribution: Oceanic. image
Genus Abranchaea Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975
- Abranchaea chinensis Zhan Fu-Sui, 1975
Genus Platybrachium Minichev, 1976