Cavolinia gibbosa (A. d'Orbigny, 1835)

Description

A pelagic shelled pteropod with a translucent white shell, occasionally bearing fine brown stripes. The anterior ventral margin is sharply angled, projecting as a clear edge when viewed from the side. The dorsal side of the shell carries five longitudinal ridges, and the posterior tip is slightly upturned. The lip is not strongly curved, with shallow concave notches on its anterior and lateral edges. The lateral wings are short.

Distribution

Originally described from material collected during a voyage off South America. Subsequently recorded across temperate and tropical oceans worldwide.

Etymology

The specific epithet gibbosa is Latin for "hunchbacked" or "swollen", in reference to the inflated form of the shell.

Remarks

A pelagic plankton-feeder belonging to the family Cavoliniidae (shelled pteropods).

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References

• Hyalaea gibbosa, Orbigny A.D. d' (1834-1847). Voyage dans l'Amérique méridionale (le Brésil, la république orientale de l'Uruguay, la République argentine, la Patagonie, la république du Chili, la république de Bolivia, la république du Pérou), exécuté pendant les années 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832 et 1833. 5(3): Mollusques. Paris: Pitois-Levrault.
• 奥谷喬司. (2017). わが国近海に見られる浮遊性巻貝類 V 有殻翼足類・カメガイ亜科. うみうし通信. 92.