Clio scheelei (Munthe, 1888)

Overview

This is a shelled pelagic snail, up to 1.6 cm long, with a transparent uncoiled shell. The shell is slender and triangular. The cross section is oval. The lateral sides are not gutter-shaped and run close to the protoconch. The reddish dark brown visceral mass is seen through the shell. It is a good swimmer that feeds on phytoplankton and protozoa. It lives in the S-Pacific Ocean (Clio scheelei 2).

Taxonomic Description

The shell is not curved. The lateral sides show a narrow, slightly convex margin, resembling that of Clio andreae, they are not excavated, like in Clio recurva (Clio scheelei). The lateral ribs (Clio scheelei lat.rib) run backwards and come extremely close to the embryonic shell. The ventral side of the shell has a broad ventral rib occupying 3/5 of the whole ventral surface. The dorsal side has a broad central and two faint lateral ribs. This species is much more slender in shape than Clio recurva. The rear angle and the divergence of the lateral ribs in Clio scheelei is small. Transverse liration provides the shell with a distinct sculpture. The rounded, Diacria -like embryonic shell is separated from the rest of the shell by a narrow construction.
Shell measurements are: length up to 16 mm, width 7 mm.

Juveniles

The Clio scheelei protoconch is rounded posteriorly and somewhat oval, the surface is smooth. A clear incision is found between the embryonic shell and adult shell, posteriorly it is circular in cross section.

Reproduction

This species is a protandric hermaphrodite.

Ecology

This species is phytophagous and bathypelagic.

Distribution

This species so far is only recorded from the S-Pacific Ocean, see the Clio scheelei map.

Types

Cleodora scheelei Munthe, 1888: 18, figs. 15-19.
Types are not located.
Type locality: off the west coast of Patagonia.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Euthyneura
Order Thecosomata
Suborder Euthecosomata
Family Cavoliniidae
Subfamily Clioinae
Genus Clio
Species Clio scheelei

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Not included in WoRMS database

Scientific synonyms and common names

Clio scheelei (Munthe, 1888)

Synonyms

Cleodora scheelei n. sp. Munthe, 1888: 18
Clio scheelei Meisenheimer, 1905c: 21

Meisenheimer, J., 1905c. Pteropoda. Deutsch. Tiefsee Exp. 1898-1899 IX: 1-314, Atlas Pl. 1-27 Map 1-9.

Munthe, H., 1888. Pteropoder i Upsala Universitets Zoologiska Museum samlade af Kapten G. von Schéele. K. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handlingar 14 (4) 2 (Bihang): 1-33, 21 figs.

Newman, L. and Greenwood, J. G., 1987. First records of the pteropods Clio scheelei (Munthe, 1888) and Clio andreae (Boas, 1886) (Opisthobranchia: Thecosomata) from the western Pacific Ocean. Veliger 30(1): 90-94.

Newman, L. J., 1990. Holoplanktonic molluscs (Gastropoda; Thecosomata, Gymnosomata, and Heteropoda) from the waters of Australia and Papua New Guinea: their taxonomy, distribution and biology. PhD Thesis Univ. Qld. Australia. 208 pp.

Starobogatov, J. I., 1971. Ordo Thecosomata; ordo Gymnosomata; ordo Heteropoda. In: Polevoy Zool. Inst. Akad. Moscou. opredeliteli planktona (without page or figure numbers, not bound, mimiographed). [in Russsian]

Tesch, J. J., 1913c. Mollusca, Pteropoda. In: F. E. Schulze. Das Tierreich. Eine Zusammenstellung und Kennzeichnung der rezenten Tierformen 36. Berlin (Friedberger and Sohn): i-xvi, 1-154, 108 figs.

Spoel, S. van der, 1967. Euthecosomata, a group with remarkable developmental stages (Gastropoda, Pteropoda). J. Noorduyn and Zn, Gorinchem, 375 pp.

Summary (in Dutch also published separately)

Spoel, S. van der, 1976c. Pseudothecosomata, Gymnosomata and Heteropoda. Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, Utrecht. 484 pp. 246 figs.

You can continue searching for Clio scheelei on one of these Web sites:

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