Discover Top Posts Tagged with #pteropoda

A naked sea butterfly (Clione limacina) in Uummannaq, Greenland

by Pat Webster

#naked sea butterfly #sea angels #molluscs #clione limacina #clione #Clionidae #pteropoda #gastropoda #mollusca #wildlife: greenland #wildlife: europe

have sea angels been done yet? i love them very much, they're my favorite animal!!

I have not! They always remind me of ratfish and vice versa.

Have you seen a sea angel (Suborder: Gymnosomata)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onApr 4

Изящные, почти невесомые и удивительно красивые, морские бабочки Corolla spectabilis.

Corolla spectabilis (Gastropoda - Thecosomata - Cymbuliidae) , обычно называемая морской бабочкой, представляет собой вид планктонных морских слизней, принадлежащих к группе, которую в совокупности называют крылоногими моллюсками. Распространение этих удивительных созданий ограничено западной частью Атлантического океана и восточной частью Тихого океана, а также редко встречаются в Средиземном море.

Corolla spectabilis характеризуется наличием одной пластины крыла (структуры, напоминающие крылья) и студенистого внутреннего псевдоконха, который содержит висцеральную массу. Псевдоконх может вырасти примерно до 6 см в длину у крупных животных, с размахом пластины крыла 16 см.

Жизнь морских бабочек, обитающих на глубине около 25 метров, подчинена океанским течениям. Размахивая полупрозрачными «крылышками», они поднимаются к поверхности воды, следуя за своей добычей. Одной из самых интересных особенностей этих морских бабочек является их способ питания. Они производят слизистую паутину, во много раз превышающую размер животного и имеющую диаметр около 2 м, чтобы запутывать и ловить планктонную пищу, диатомовые водоросли и веслоногих ракообразных. Опускаясь ниже на дно, морские бабочки поднимают крылышки кверху.

Graceful, almost weightless and amazingly beautiful, the Corolla spectabilis sea butterfly.

Corolla spectabilis (Gastropoda - Thecosomata - Cymbuliidae), commonly called the sea butterfly, is a species of planktonic sea slug belonging to a group collectively called pteropods. These amazing creatures are restricted to the western Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Pacific Ocean, and are also rarely found in the Mediterranean Sea.

Corolla spectabilis is characterized by the presence of a single wing plate (a structure resembling a wing) and a gelatinous internal pseudoconch that contains the visceral mass. The pseudoconch can grow to about 6 cm in length in larger animals, with a wing plate span of 16 cm.

Living at depths of about 25 meters, the sea butterflies are subject to ocean currents. Flapping their translucent “wings,” they rise to the surface of the water, following their prey. One of the most interesting features of these sea butterflies is their method of feeding. They produce a mucous web, many times larger than the size of the animal and about 2 m in diameter, to entangle and catch planktonic food, diatoms, and copepods. As they descend to the bottom, the sea butterflies lift their wings upward.

Источник:/vk.com/wall-166513731_232128, /x.com/MontereyAq/ status/1357435457009639428/photo/1 , /www.zoopicture.ru /morskie-babochki/, /libutron.tumblr.com/post/99327529551/sea-butterfly-corolla-spectabilis-commonly, /www.diverkevin.com/ NorthAmerica/Invertebrates-Eastern-Pacific/Invertebrates-Ctenophora/i-nwZ9bs2

PENGUINS CAUGHT ON CAMERA EATING "SEA BUTTERFLIES"

For the first time, researchers have captured video evidence of Adélie penguins actively feeding on shelled pteropods, tiny, free-swimming sea snails, in East Antarctica. The team equipped eight chick-rearing penguins with cameras and GPS loggers. Over 86 hours of footage revealed that seven of the eight birds consumed pteropods, with two individuals deriving over 60% of their prey from Clio pyramidata and Limacina rangii. While krill remained the dominant food source, the penguins opportunistically targeted dense pteropod patches, suggesting this overlooked trophic pathway may serve as an important supplemental prey.

- Pteropods found and consumed by Adélie penguins A solitary Clio pyramidata. B aggregated C. pyramidata in the water column. C a capture event of C. pyramidata and D a capture event of Limacina rangii.

This discovery carries significant climate implications. Shelled pteropods are highly vulnerable to ocean acidification caused by fossil fuel emissions, and their availability could shift as Southern Ocean chemistry changes. The study is limited to one colony and one season, but it raises critical questions: will Adélie penguins increasingly rely on pteropods as a fallback food, or will acidification collapse this emerging link? Future research will explore whether this behavior persists across years and colonies, or only emerges under specific environmental pressures.

Reference: Watanabe et al. 2026. Video evidence of pteropod predation highlights diet flexibility in Adélie penguins. Marine Biology.

Gif: Video from a camera mounted on the back of an Adélie penguin, preying on a shelled pteropod, Clio pyramidata, Limacina Rangii. Gif from video

#Limacina #Clio pyramidata #Pygoscelis adeliae #Limacina rangii #science #antarctica #pteropoda #gif #biology #marine biology

༄.°⋆｡˚ Little Sea Butterfly (Pteropoda) !!

Settle in with a Sea Angel

Better known as the naked sea butterfly or the common clione, Clione limacina is a species of pelagic sea slug (aka sea angels or gimnosomates) found throughout the open water of the north Atlantic, north Pacific and Arctic Oceans. They reside in both the epipelagic and mesopelagic regions, from the surface to depths of over 500 m (1,600 ft). As extremophiles, they can withstand extremely cold temperatures of −0.5 to 3°C (32°F to 37°F).

The common clione is named for its wing-like fins, which propel it through the water. The body is otherwise quite simple in design, and completely transluscent save for the organs, which are a vibrant orange. C. limacina is also notable for being the largest sea angel; the northernmost populations can reach 7–8.5 cm (2.8–3.3 in) in length.

Though they look beautiful the naked sea butterfly is actually a voracious predator. They primary prey are tiny, shelled sea butterflies. When it encounters a target, the sea angel's 'head' opens and it extracts the butterfly from its shell using a set of tentacles and chitinous hooks. When it cannot find sea butterflies, C. limacina will also consume small amphipods copepods. However, they can also survive up to a year without food of any kind. In turn, common cliones are also prey for a variety of marine life including fish such as chum salmon, and baleen whales.

Though little is known about the reproductive habits of C. limacina, research suggests that they are simultaneous hermaphrodites; individuals contain the sex organs for both males and females. They mating peaks during the spring and summer, and lay about 30-40 eggs afterwards. The larvae stay in the top 200 m (650 ft) of the water column to feed on phytoplankton until they reach maturity. It is generally thought that they can live to be about two years old in the wild.

Conservation status: Clione limacina has not been evaluated by the IUCN; however, like most sea slugs, they have a large population and are not considered to be endangered. However, they may be threatened by the rising temperatures in their natural habitat.

Photos

Kevin Raskoff

Richard Satterlie

Andrey Narchuk