pteropod
English
Limacina helicina, a pteropod
Etymology
From Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing, feather”) + ποδός (podós), genitive singular of πούς (poús, “foot, leg”). See also ptero- + -pod.
Noun
pteropod (plural pteropods)
- Any of free-swimming pelagic sea snails and sea slugs, of the suborder Thecosomata, that have winglike lobes on the feet; a sea butterfly.
- 1998, Yvonne Herman, 5: Pteropods, B.U. Haq, A. Boersma (editors), Introduction to Marine Micropaleontology, page 151,
- Pteropods, also known as sea butterflies, are marine gastropods adapted to pelagic life. […] When pteropods constitute a high percentage of the ooze the deposit is called pteropod ooze.
- 2011, Ellen Prager, Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Oceans' Oddest Creatures and Why They Matter, page 33,
- For fans of the undersea sci-fi classic The Abyss, a pteropod seems a likely inspiration for the ethereal alien creatures that were the saviors at the film's end.
- The muscular foot that most snails use for locomotion has been modified in the pteropods into delicate fins for swimming.
- 2013, George Karleskint, Jr, Richard Turner, James Small, Jr, Introduction to Marine Biology, Cengage Learning, 4th Edition, page 446,
- Pteropods, or sea butterflies, have a foot that is modified to form a pair of winglike structures that animals use to propel themselves through the water column.
- 1998, Yvonne Herman, 5: Pteropods, B.U. Haq, A. Boersma (editors), Introduction to Marine Micropaleontology, page 151,
Synonyms
- (any member of Thecosomata): sea butterfly
Derived terms
- pteropod ooze
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