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pteropod
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pteropod A shell-less sea snail (Cliona limacina). sea butterfly
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pteropod
pteropod A pteropod.

pteropod

mollusk
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Also known as: sea butterfly
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Also called:
sea butterfly

pteropod, small marine gastropods of the subclass Opisthobranchia (phylum Mollusca) characterized by a foot modified to form a pair of winglike flaps (parapodia) that are used for swimming. They live at or near the sea surface; most are less than 1 cm (0.4 inch) long.

A shell-less sea snail (Cliona limacina).
A shell-less sea snail (Cliona limacina).

Those that lack a shell and have complicated mechanisms for capturing and eating other small animals constitute the order Gymnosomata; those having a shell and feeding by means of cilia and mucus constitute the order Thecosomata. The shell is delicate and translucent; contrasting forms are seen in the straight-needle pteropod (Creseis acicula), the coiled pteropod (Limacina species), and the long-snouted pteropod (Cavolina longirostris).

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.
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