Diaphanoidea

Diaphanoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of small sea snails, marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the suborder Cephalaspidea, the headshield slugs and bubble snails. (Further information at Cephalaspidea.)

Species in this superfamily have small, flimsy, almost globular shells, known as paper bubble gastropod shells.

This superfamily consists of two families, as shown below. Little known about these small creatures, except the bare essentials.

Distribution

Species in this superfamily are found in cold seas, such as the Arctic region, Antarctica, Australia, and New Zealand.

Habitat

The species occur in the sublitoral to abyssal zones.

Shell description

The shell is minute, thin, fragile, colorless to translucent, and usually less than 5 mm in size. The overall shape is ovate, pear-shaped, and bulbous. There is a sunken apex.

Families in the superfamily Diaphanoidea

• Diaphanidae Odhner, 1922
• Notodiaphanidae Thiele, 1931

External links and references

• Bois-Reymond Marcus, E. D. (1976): A taxonomic survey of the genus Toledonia Dall, 1902 (Opistobranchia, Diaphanidae). Zool. Scripta 5: 25-33
• Photo of Colpodaspis thompsoni