Sea butterflies, scientific name Thecosomata, are a taxonomic suborder of small pelagic swimming sea snails. They are holoplanktonic opisthobranch gastropod mollusks. Most Thecosomata have some form of calcified shell, although it is often very light and / or transparent.
Nudibranchs are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, such as "clown", "marigold", "splendid", "dancer", "dragon", and "sea rabbit". Currently, about 3,000 valid species of nudibranchs are known.
Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails that over evolutionary time have either completely lost their shells, or have seemingly lost their shells due to having a greatly reduced or internal shell. The name "sea slug" is most often applied to nudibranchs, as well as to a paraphyletic set of other marine gastropods without obvious shells.
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.
The Notobranchaeidae, or "naked sea butterflies", are a taxonomic family of floating sea slugs, specifically under the subclass Opistobranchia, also called "sea angels".
Glaucus atlanticus is a species of small, blue sea slug, a pelagic (open-ocean) aeolid nudibranch, a shell-less gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae.
Glaucus marginatus is a species of small, floating, blue sea slug; a pelagic (open-ocean) aeolid nudibranch; a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Glaucidae. This species is closely related to Glaucus atlanticus, and is part of a species complex along with Glaucus bennettae, Glaucus thompsoni, and Glaucus mcfarlanei. Like Glaucus atlanticus, it is commonly known as a blue dragon.
Atlantidae is a family of sea snails, holoplanktonic gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha.
Carinaria is a genus of medium-sized floating sea snails, pelagic gastropod molluscs in the family Carinariidae.
The Phylliroidae are a family of nudibranch sea snails, highly adapted to a pelagic lifestyle and occurring in tropical surface waters around the globe. The two species of the genus Phylliroe and Cephalopyge trematoides that have been assigned to this family are small to average in size, slender and highly transparent. They swim by undulating their whole body. Their foot is very small, which helps to reduce drag. They are carnivores that prey on planktonic jelly fish.
Phylliroe is a genus of average sized, highly transparent pelagic nudibranchs, marine gastropod molluscs in the order Opisthobranchia, that consists of two known species. It is notable for being an open-ocean hunter that resembles a fish in body plan and locomotion, an example of convergent evolution.
Janthina is a genus of small to medium-sized pelagic or planktonic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Epitoniidae.
Janthina janthina is a species of holoplanktonic sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Epitoniidae. Its common names include violet sea-snail, common violet snail, large violet snail and purple storm snail.
The Pterotracheoidea is, according to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda, a taxonomic superfamily of sea snails or sea slugs, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha. They are commonly called heteropods or sea elephants.
Tambja morosa, also known as Tambja kushimotoensis or gloomy nudibranch, is a species of sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a shell-less marine gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Nembrothinae within the family Polyceridae.
Glaucus is a genus of small blue pelagic sea slugs. They are aeolid nudibranchs, ranging in size from 20 to 40 mm. They feed on colonial cnidarians such as Portuguese man o' wars, blue buttons, and purple sails. They can produce painful and potentially dangerous stings when handled, as they store the venomous nematocysts of their prey. Glaucus is the only genus in the family Glaucidae. It includes five species.
Janthina exigua, also known as the dwarf janthina, is a species of small holoplanktonic sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Epitoniidae, the violet snails or purple storm snails.
Atlanta helicinoidea is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae.
Atlanta peronii is a species of sea snail, a holoplanktonic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Atlantidae, as well as its typetaxon.
Clio pyramidata is a species of sea butterfly, a floating and swimming sea snail, a pelagic marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cliidae.
