Limacina

{{Short description|Genus of gastropods}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = LimacinaHelicinaNOAA.jpg | image_caption = ''Limacina helicina'' | taxon = Limacina | authority = Bosc, 1817<ref>Bosc L. A. G. (1817). "Cléodore". ''Nouveau Dictionnaire d’Histoire naturelle'' '''7''': 188.</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms_ref = <ref name="WoRMS" /> | synonyms = {{hidden begin|toggle=left|title=list of synonyms}} * ''Agadina'' A. A. Gould, 1852 junior subjective synonym * † ''Chadumella'' Korobkov, 1966 * ''Crino'' Gistel, 1848 junior subjective synonym (Unnecessary substitute name for ''Limacina'') * ''Heterofusus'' Fleming, 1823 * ''Limacina (Limacina)'' Bosc, 1817 · accepted, alternate representation * ''Lornia'' Marwick, 1926 * ''Munthea'' van der Spoel, 1967 (unavailable name: no type species designated) * ''Scaea'' Philippi, 1844 * ''Spiratella'' Blainville, 1817 (Objective synonym of ''Limacina'') * ''Spiratella (Heterofusus)'' J. Fleming, 1823 · * ''Spiratella (Pygmella)'' Tembrock, 1989 * ''Spirialis'' Eydoux & Souleyet, 1840 * † ''Valvatina'' Bornemann, 1855 (junior subjective synonym) {{hidden end}} | type_species = ''Clio helicina'' | type_species_authority = Phipps, 1774 }}

'''''Limacina''''' is a genus of swimming predatory sea snails commonly known as sea butterflies in the family Limacinidae. This genus contains some of the world's most abundant gastropod species.<ref name="WoRMS">Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2012). Limacina. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138122 on 2012-07-18</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yIAfwz5cxPMC&pg=PA6 |title = Pelagic Snails: The Biology of Holoplanktonic Gastropod Mollusks|isbn = 9780804714907|last1 = Lalli|first1 = Carol M.|last2 = Gilmer|first2 = Ronald W.|year = 1989}}</ref>

Etymological meaning of the generic name ''Limacina'' is "snail-like".<ref>Woodward S. P. (1854). ''A manual of the Mollusca; or, A rudimentary treatise of recent and fossil shells''. '''2''': [https://archive.org/stream/manualofmollusca02woodrich#page/206/mode/2up 207]. London.</ref>

As pelagic marine gastropods, ''Limacina'' swim by flapping their parapodia, inspiring the common name sea butterflies.

Sea butterflies are part of the clade Thecosomata. Sea angels, similar to ''Limacina'', are in the order Gymnosomata. Both of these orders are still referred to as "pteropods". Sea butterflies of the order Thecosomata have a shell, while sea angels in the order Gymnosomata do not.

==Shell description== The shells of ''Limacina'' are well developed, sinistrally coiled, turret-like, and include an operculum. Shell size and thickness vary within the genus. At high latitudes, the diameter of the shell does not exceed 15 mm. At lower latitudes, the diameter varies from 1 to 3 mm.

==Description of the soft parts== Two large winglike parapodia, derived from foot tissue, propel these invertebrates through the water column to overcome negative buoyancy due to the animal's shell. As diel vertical migrators, ''Limacina'' inhabit deeper waters during the day and travel to the surface at night to feed.

==Life habits== Feeding habits of ''Limacina'' are characterized by actively feeding on planktonic organisms such as bacteria, small crustaceans, gastropod larvae, dinoflagellates and diatoms. These prey items become entangled in a mucosal web (up to 5 cm wide) excreted by the animal that is, in turn, eaten along with the prey items. This net also provides positive buoyancy. Ciliated posterior footlobes and lateral footlobes move food collected by the mucosal web into the mouth.

Large aggregations of ''Limacina'' migrating to the surface of the water attract predators such as ''Clione'' (family Clionidae, suborder Gymnosomata), baleen whales, various species of salmonids, herring,<ref>[http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/Quarterly/jas2005/divrptsABL1.htm Quarterly research reports for Auke Bay Lab, July-Sept 2005 - page 1]</ref> and seabirds.

==Species== Species within the genus ''Limacina'' include: {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * † ''Limacina acutimarginata'' Korobkov, 1966 * † ''Limacina adornata'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina advenulata'' (Darragh, 1997) * † ''Limacina aegis'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina andrussowi'' (Kittl, 1886) * ''Limacina antarctica'' S. P. Woodward, 1854 * † ''Limacina aryanaensis'' A. W. Janssen, 2013 * † ''Limacina asiatica'' A. W. Janssen, 2011 * † ''Limacina atlanta'' (Mörch, 1874) * ''Limacina bulimoides'' (d'Orbigny, 1836)<ref name="Janssen 2007"/><ref name="Cahuzac 2010"/> - Bulimoid pteropod. Distribution: Red Sea, Pacific. Length: 1.2 mm. * † ''Limacina canadaensis'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina conica'' (Koenen, 1892) * † ''Limacina convolutus'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina davidi'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina dilatata'' (Koenen, 1892) * † ''Limacina dzheroiensis'' A. W. Janssen, 2011 * † ''Limacina erasmiana'' Janssen, 2010<ref name="Janssen 2010">Janssen A. W. (2010). "Pteropods (Mollusca, Euthecosomata) from the Early Eocene of Rotterdam (The Netherlands)". ''Scripta Geologica'' '''07''' http://www.scriptageologica.nl/10/nr007/a09 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095554/http://www.scriptageologica.nl/10/nr007/a09 |date=2015-09-24 }}</ref> * † Limacina ernstkittli A. W. Janssen, 2012 † * † ''Limacina gormani'' (Curry, 1982)<ref name="Cahuzac 2010"/> * † ''Limacina gramensis'' (Rasmussen, 1968) * † ''Limacina guersi'' Janssen, 2010<ref name="Janssen 2010"/> * † ''Limacina hainanensis'' H.-J. Wang, 1982 * † ''Limacina heatherae'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * ''Limacina helicina'' (Phipps, 1774) - Helicid pteropod. Type species.<ref name="Janssen 2007">Janssen A. W. (2007). "Holoplanktonic Mollusca (Gastropoda: Pterotracheoidea, Janthinoidea, Thecosomata and Gymnosomata) from the Pliocene of Pangasinan (Luzon, Philippines)". ''Scripta Geologica'' '''137''' http://www.scriptageologica.nl/07/nr135/a02 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724165136/http://www.scriptageologica.nl/07/nr135/a02 |date=2011-07-24 }}</ref> * † ''Limacina helikos'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina ingridae'' A. W. Janssen, 1989 * † ''Limacina irisae'' A. W. Janssen, 1989 * † ''Limacina karasawai'' Ando, 2011 * † ''Limacina konkensis'' (Zhizhchenko, 1937) * ''Limacina lesueurii'' (d'Orbigny, 1836) - Distribution: North America, Western Atlantic. * † ''Limacina limata'' (Marwick, 1926) * † ''Limacina lotschi'' (Tembrock, 1989) * † ''Limacina mariae'' A. W. Janssen, 1989 * † ''Limacina nemoris'' (Curry, 1965) * † ''Limacina novacaesarea'' A. W. Janssen & Sessa, 2016 * † ''Limacina parvabrazensis'' Garvie & A. W. Janssen, 2020 * † ''Limacina perforata'' A. W. Janssen, 2013 * † ''Limacina planorbella'' (Korobkov, 1966) * † ''Limacina pseudopygmaea'' Garvie & A. W. Janssen, 2020 * † ''Limacina pygmaea'' (Lamarck, 1805)<ref name="Cahuzac 2010"/><ref name="Janssen 2010"/> * ''Limacina rangii'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) * ''Limacina retroversa'' (Fleming, 1823) - Retrovert pteropod. Distribution: North America, Western Atlantic, Arctic Ocean. * † ''Limacina robusta'' (Eames, 1952) * † ''Limacina sculptilis'' (Maxwell, 1992) * † ''Limacina smithvillensis'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina subtarchanensis'' (Zhizhchenko, 1936) * † ''Limacina tanzaniaensis'' L. J. Cotton, A. W. Janssen, Pearson & van Driel, 2017 * † ''Limacina tarchanensis'' (Kittl, 1886) * † ''Limacina tertiaria'' (Tate, 1887) * † ''Limacina texanopsis'' Garvie, 2020 * † ''Limacina timi'' L. J. Cotton, A. W. Janssen, Pearson & van Driel, 2017 * ''Limacina trochiformis'' (d'Orbigny, 1836) - Trochiform pteropod. Distribution: North America, Western Atlantic, Red Sea, Pacific. Length: 1 mm. * † ''Limacina tutelina'' (Curry, 1965) * † ''Limacina umbilicata'' (Bornemann, 1855) * † ''Limacina valvatina'' (Reuss, 1867)<ref name="Cahuzac 2010"/> * † ''Limacina? vegrandis'' Cahuzac & Janssen, 2010<ref name="Cahuzac 2010">Cahuzac B. & Janssen A. W. (2010). "Eocene to Miocene holoplanktonic Mollusca (Gastropoda) of the Aquitaine Basin, southwest France". ''Scripta Geologica'' '''141''': http://www.scriptageologica.nl/10/nr141/a01 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315001016/http://www.scriptageologica.nl/10/nr141/a01 |date=2012-03-15 }}</ref> * † ''Limacina wechesensis'' Hodgkinson, 1992 * † ''Limacina wilhelminae'' A. W. Janssen, 1989 * † ''Limacina yadongensis'' X.-F. Li, G.-B. Li, Garvie, T.-Y. Wang & J. Zhao, 2020 * † ''Limacina yazdii'' A. W. Janssen, 2013 {{div col end}}

==Synonyms== * ''Limacina antarctica'' Woodward, 1854:<ref>WoRMS (2010). ''Limacina antarctica'' Woodward, 1854. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=509607 on 2011-01-29</ref> synonym of ''Limacina rangii'' f. ''antarctica'' Woodward, 1854: synonym of ''Limacina rangii'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) * † ''Limacina atypica'' (Laws, 1944): synonym of † ''Heliconoides atypicus'' (Laws, 1944) (superseded combination) * ''Limacina balea'' Møller, 1841: synonym of ''Limacina retroversa'' (Fleming, 1823) * ''Limacina contorta'' Sykes, 1905: synonym of ''Limacina trochiformis'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) * ''Limacina crossei'' Pelseneer, 1888: synonym of ''Limacina lesueurii'' (d'Orbigny, 1835) * ''Limacina cucullata'' Gould, 1852: synonym of ''Limacina rangii'' f. ''antarctica'' Woodward, 1854: synonym of ''Limacina rangii'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) * † ''Limacina ferax'' (Laws, 1944): synonym of † ''Heliconoides ferax'' (Laws, 1944) * ''Limacina helicialis'' Lamarck, 1819: synonym of ''Limacina helicina'' (Phipps, 1774) * ''Limacina helicoides'' Jeffreys, 1877: synonym of ''Thielea helicoides'' (Jeffreys, 1877) * ''Limacina inflata'' (d'Orbigny, 1836) - Planorbid pteropod. Distribution: circumglobal, Red Sea, Pacific. Length: 1 mm. Description: the shell is flatly twisted, resembling the shell of the cephalopod Nautilus. - synonym: ''Heliconoides inflata'' (d'Orbigny, 1836) * ''Limacina naticoides'' Souleyet, 1852: synonym of ''Limacina trochiformis'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) * ''Limacina pacifica'' Dall, 1871: synonym of ''Limacina helicina pacifica'' Dall, 1871 * ''Limacina scaphoidea'' Gould, 1852: synonym of ''Heliconoides inflatus'' (d'Orbigny, 1834) * † ''Limacina taylori'' (Curry, 1965)<ref name="Janssen 2010"/>: synonym of † ''Heliconoides taylori'' (Curry, 1965)

==References== {{Reflist}} * Vaught, K.C. (1989). ''A classification of the living Mollusca''. American Malacologists: Melbourne, FL (USA). {{ISBN|0-915826-22-4}}. XII, 195 pp. * Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). ''European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification''. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 180–213

Category:Limacinidae Category:Gastropod genera Category:Taxa named by Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc