Paraclione pelseneeri Tesch, 1903
Overview
This is a small naked pelagic snail, up to 0.3 cm long, with a slender, mainly transparent body, except for the large chromatophores. The visceral mass is seen through the body wall. The shape is oval. The posterior footlobe is small or absent. There are two pairs of buccal cones. It hunts zooplankton as food. It lives in the Indo-Malayan waters, in the upper water layers (Paraclione pelseneeri).
Taxonomic Description
Generally the body shape is barrel-shaped, pointed posteriorly. Three of the type specimens had chromatophores like those found in Fowlerina zetesios, the other two had non, the skin is without pigment, not provided with many gland cells. The presence of chromatophores in this genus is, however, the rule. Head and body are clearly separated by an incision. Two pairs of buccal cones are present, the dorsal pair is somewhat smaller than the ventral pair. The visceral mass only fills 1/3 of the total body volume. A median footlobe is lacking and a median foot tubercle is present. Dorsal tentacles and wings small. The radula formula is 3-1-3. The lateral teeth are slender. The median teeth shows a large median cusp. Jaws small with about 10 small irregular spines. The hook sacs are small, each with 10 triangular hooks. The proboscis is rather large.
Body length up to 3 mm.
Juveniles
A special description is not available.
Reproduction
This species is a protandric hermaphrodite.
Ecology
This species is a carnivore.
Distribution
It is only known from Indo-Malayan waters, see the Paraclione pelseneeri map.
Types
Paraclione pelseneeri Tesch, 1903: 117 (1904), pl. 6, fig. 147.
Lectotype: should be in ZMAN (alcohol collection) but is lost. Paralectotypes: ZMAN, 4 spec. (alcohol collection).
Type locality: Salayer Island (Indo-Malayan Arch.). Coll.: Siboga, stat. 213. Salayer Island.