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A small mollusk with winglike extensions to its body that it uses for swimming.
Orders Thecosomata (with shells) and Gymnosomata (lacking shells), class Gastropoda
‘The pteropod, Cfione limacina (Order: Gymnosomata) differs from the nudibranchs and notaspids discussed so far in that it swims continuously using paired parapodial appendages that resemble wings.’
‘Initially, Walcott considered Matthevia to be a snail, either a pteropod or a new form of equivalent rank, although he made this assignment with reservation.’
‘The commonest macrofaunal elements of the Carriacou succession are benthic molluscs, pteropods, scleractinian corals and, particularly in the Grand Bay Formation, articulate brachiopods (Donovan and Harper, 1997, in press).’
‘The unusual relationship between the pelagic mollusc Clione antarctica, a pteropod, and its amphipod abductor has been described as ‘antagonistic symbiosis’.’
‘In addition to its operation in some insects, it has been suggested that the flapping mechanism in the pteropod, Clione limacina, uses a clap-and-fling mechanism.’
‘These all feed on pteropods, or sea butterflies, one of the species most threatened by rising acidity.’
Origin
Mid 19th century: from modern Latin Pteropoda (plural), from Greek pteron ‘wing’ + pous, pod- ‘foot’.