Diaphana minuta
| Diaphana minuta | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Cephalaspidea |
| Family: | Diaphanidae |
| Genus: | Diaphana |
| Species: | D. minuta |
| Binomial name | |
| Diaphana minuta Brown, 1827 | |
Diaphana minuta is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Diaphanidae.[1]
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Mollusca
- Class: Gastropoda
- Subclass: Heterobranchia
- Infraclass: Euthyneura
- Subterclass: Tectipleura
- Order: Cephalaspidea
- Superfamily: Cylichnoidea
- Family: Diaphanidae
- Genus: Diaphana
- Species: Diaphana minuta
- Binomial name: Diaphana minuta Brown, 1827
The species is accepted as valid in MolluscaBase and the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).[2][3]
Description
Diaphana minuta is a very small, translucent to white gastropod, typically 1.2–6 mm in size. [4]
Diagnostic features include:
- Smooth, external shell
- White body
- Bifurcated posterior foot
- Cephalic shield with tentacular lobes
- Denticulate radular teeth
- A gizzard lacking plates
- A male reproductive system with a short penial sheath dividing into two coiled prostate branches[5]
Distribution
General Range
According to WoRMS and MolluscaBase, Diaphana minuta has a broad circumpolar distribution, occurring in:
- North Pacific (Japan, British Columbia, possibly Baja California)
- Western Atlantic (Canada: Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Nova Scotia; USA: Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut)
- Europe (including Arctic and sub‑Arctic regions)The species is found in Europe and North America, with a circumpolar distribution.[1]
Depth Range
The species can be found in the intertidal zone down to 327–350 m. [6]
Habitat and Ecology
Diaphana minuta inhabits a wide variety of substrates, including:[1]
- Tide pools
- Mud, sand, clay
- Pebbles and shell gravel
- Algae (including Corallina)
Taxonomic Notes
Historically, D. minuta was confused with several similar northern species. Early authors such as G.O. Sars (1878) misidentified multiple Diaphana species, leading to taxonomic instability. Later revisions, especially by Schiøtte (1998), clarified species boundaries and confirmed D. minuta as a distinct, valid species.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Diaphana minuta T.Brown, 1827". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ↑ "MolluscaBase - Diaphana minuta T. Brown, 1827". www.molluscabase.org. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Diaphana minuta T. Brown, 1827". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ↑ "Diaphana minuta - Gastropods by Eddie Hardy". www.conchology.be. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ↑ "Diaphana minuta". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ↑ Ohnheiser, Lena Tina; Malaquias, Manuel António E. (11 March 2014). "The family Diaphanidae (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Cephalaspidea) in Europe, with a redescription of the enigmatic species Colobocephalus costellatus M. Sars, 1870" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3774 (6): 501. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3774.6.1. Retrieved 13 March 2022.