Family TETHYDIDAE Rafinesque, 1815

Family Tethydidae. Melibe mirifica.(from Beesley, Ross & Wells 1998) [S. Weidland]

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Introduction

Unique to members of this family is the expanded cowl forming the head. The cowl is used to catch and retain food prior to ingestion. The animal casts the cowl forward rather like a fisherman casts his net. The rhinophores have a small lamellate club sitting in the cup-like top of the long cylindrical sheaths. A thin vertical flange may be present on the upper rear edge of the rhinophoral sheaths. Spindle-shaped or wedge shaped cerata project from each side of the body. Some tropical species exceed 300mm in length, but most are much smaller. Tethydids lack radular teeth, some have jaws, and most have a band of hard crushing plates in the stomach. When handled, tethydids exude a sweet sickly scent.

[Compiled from Burn (in press 2012)]

General References

Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds) 1998. Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234. [1005]

Burn, R. 2006. A checklist and bibliography of the Opisthobranchia (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Victoria and the Bass Strait area, south-eastern Australia. Museum Victoria Science Report 10: 1-42

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