Pteropoda (common name pteropods, from the Greek meaning "wing-foot") are specialized free-swimming pelagic sea snails and sea slugs, marine opisthobranch gastropods. Most live in top 10 m of the ocean and are less than 1 cm long.
Is a pteropod a producer?
Planktic foraminifera and pteropods are the major zooplankton producers of CaCO3 and a key component of the ocean carbon cycle (Guinotte and Fabry, 2008). Besides coccolithophores (unicellular phytoplankton), they have an important role in exporting carbon from the surface to the deep ocean.
Where can you find sea butterflies?
Naked sea butterflies normally are found from the Arctic to Cape Hatteras, so North Carolina lies at the southern extent of their range. They thrive in water temperatures between 28 and 63 F. Even though they are small, these animals are voracious predators.
