Thliptodon gegenbauri Boas, 1886a
Overview
This is a naked pelagic snail, about 2 cm long, with a mainly transparent body, the visceral mass is seen through the body wall. The wings are implanted laterally in the middle of the the barrel-shaped body. The small posterior and lateral footlobes are not separated. It is a good swimming and carnivorous species. It is epipelagic and mesopelagic in all oceans occurring at greater depth in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Mediterranean (Thliptodon gegenbauri).
Taxonomic Description
Body round, transparent; the head is larger than the abdominal part. The footlobes usually touch each other, and they are placed half way between the wings and the top of the head. Visceral mass not extending towards the body pole. The fins are narrow at their base. An accessory penial sucker is present and a median foot tubercle is absent. About 12 transverse rows of teeth in the radula. The Thliptodon gegenbauri radula formula is 3-1-1-1-3. The median plate is nearly rectangular with a row of cusps which forms a tip in the centre of the plate. The intermediate teeth have a short but distinct cusp and dentated top side, the three lateral teeth are similar without a hinge. Hook sacs with 30 to 40 long hooks.
Body length up to 19 mm.
Juveniles
A special description is not available.
Reproduction
This species is a protandric hermaphrodite.
Ecology
This species is a carnivore.
Distribution
It is found in general at great depths in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Mediterranean. Its distribution, as far as known, is strongly discontinuous. See the Thliptodon gegenbauri map.
Types
Thliptodon gegenbauri Boas, 1886: 174, 227, pl. 8, fig. 122.
Types: the 7 spec. are not found in ZMUC.
Type locality: Messina. Coll.: Boas.