Pterotrachea coronata

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Pterotrachea coronata

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropod
Subclass:	Orthogastropoda
Superorder:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Sorbeoconcha
Suborder:	Hypsogastropoda
Infraorder:	Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:	Carinarioidea
Family:	Carinariidae
Genus:	Pterotrachea
Species:	P. coronata

Binomial name

Pterotrachea coronata
Forskal, 1775

Pterotrachea coronata is a species of large floating sea snail, a pelagic gastropod mollusc in the family Carinariidae.

This pelagic snail is not at all closely related to the pelagic opistobranchs such as the sea angels and sea butterflies. It is in the family Carinariidae, which is in the infraorder Littorinimorpha, and as such it is related to such families as the tritons (Ranellidae) and the tun shells (Tonnidae).

[edit] Description

This is a large pelagic gastropod found worldwide in warm seas. Its length is up to about 320 mm. It has a sausage-like body, transparent with black eyes, and a long elephant-like trunk.