Cymbulioidea

Cymbulioidea
Gleba cordata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Euopisthobranchia clade Thecosomata
Superfamily:	Cymbulioidea Gray, 1840
Families
See text
Synonyms[1]
Pseudothecosomata

Cymbulioidea is a taxonomic superfamily of pelagic "sea butterflies". These are holoplanktonic opisthobranch molluscs in the clade Thecosomata.^[1]

Anatomy

Some groups within this superfamily possess a shell in the adult stage, some are without, and others have developed a relatively tough gelatinous, cartilaginous internal structure, a sort of fake shell called the pseudoconch.

The lateral and posterior foot lobes are joined as a ciliated proboscis that leads to the mouth, and the wings are united ventrally to form a single plate.

A more general description is given under the entry sea butterfly.

Taxonomy

Corolla spectabilis on 1995 stamp of Azerbaijan.

The group was originally referred to as the Pseudothecosomata Meisenheimer, 1905, although this name is invalid under the ICZN and thus is no longer recognized.^[1] Instead its three families are categorized within the superfamily Cymbulioidea, which is itself part of the clade Thecosomata.

The superfamily Cymbulioidea consists of three following subfamilies (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005):

• Family Peraclidae C. W. Johnson, 1915
  • Genus Peracle Forbes, 1844
• Family Cymbuliidae J.E. Gray, 1840
  • Genus Corolla Dall, 1871
  • Genus Cymbulia Peron & Lesueur, 1810
  • Genus Gleba Forsskål, 1776
• Family Desmopteridae (Dall, 1921)
  • Genus Desmopterus Chun, 1889

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Bouchet P., Rocroi J.-P., Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdés Á. & Warén A. (2005). "Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families". Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology (Hackenheim, Germany: ConchBooks) 47 (1-2): 1–397. ISBN 3925919724. ISSN 0076-2997. http://www.archive.org/details/malacologia47122005inst. 

Further reading

• Lalli C. M. & Gilmer R. W. (1989) Pelagic Snails. The biology of holoplanktonic gastropod molluscs. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California.