The Aplustridae is a taxonomic family of sea snails or bubble snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Acteonoidea.

The former name of this family, Hydatinidae (Pilsbry, 1893) has been declared invalid.

Description

The soft parts of animals in this family are brightly colored.

The oval bubble-shaped shell is thin and fragile and has a sunken spire. The shell is white or beige-colored with colored bands or stripes.

There is no operculum.

Life habits

The soft parts of the animal cannot retract completely into the shell, and therefore these animals depend for their defense on swimming and camouflage. They are specialised feeders, eating cirratulinid polychaete worms.

Genera

Genera within the family Aplustridae include:

• Aplustrum Schumacher, 1817

• Bullina A. Férussac, 1822

• Espinosina Ortea & Moro, 2017

• Hydatina Schumacher, 1817

• Micromelo Pilsbry, 1895

• Rictaxiella Habe, 1958

• † Sulcoactaeon Cossmann, 1895

References

• Rudman, W.B. (1972) "The anatomy of the opisthobranch genus Hydatina and the functioning of the mantle cavity and the alimentary canal". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 51(2): 121-139

• Vaught, K.C.; Tucker Abbott, R.; Boss, K.J. (1989). A classification of the living Mollusca. American Malacologists: Melbourne. . XII, 195 pp

• Guangyu, 1997. Fauna Sinica Phylum Mollusca Class Gastropoda Subclass Opisthobranchia Order Cephalaspidea. 225pp., 28pls. (3col.pls.), 35 figs

• Powell A W B, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979

• Bouchet P., Rocroi J.P., Hausdorf B., Kaim A., Kano Y., Nützel A., Parkhaev P., Schrödl M. & Strong E.E. (2017). Revised classification, nomenclator and typification of gastropod and monoplacophoran families. Malacologia. 61(1-2): 1-526