Diaphana minuta is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Diaphanidae.
Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Heterobranchia Infraclass: Euthyneura Subterclass: Tectipleura Order: Cephalaspidea Superfamily: Cylichnoidea Family: Diaphanidae Genus: Diaphana Species: Diaphana minuta Binomial name: Diaphana minuta Brown, 1827
The species is accepted as valid in MolluscaBase and the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).
Description Diaphana minuta is a very small, translucent to white gastropod, typically 1.2–6 mm in size.
Diagnostic features include:
Smooth, external shell White body Bifurcated posterior foot Cephalic shield with tentacular lobes Denticulate radular teeth A gizzard lacking plates A male reproductive system with a short penial sheath dividing into two coiled prostate branches
Distribution
General Range According to WoRMS and MolluscaBase, Diaphana minuta has a broad circumpolar distribution, occurring in:
North Pacific (Japan, British Columbia, possibly Baja California) Western Atlantic (Canada: Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, Nova Scotia; USA: Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut) Europe (including Arctic and sub‑Arctic regions)The species is found in Europe and North America, with a circumpolar distribution.
Depth Range The species can be found in the intertidal zone down to 327–350 m.
Habitat and Ecology Diaphana minuta inhabits a wide variety of substrates, including:
Tide pools Mud, sand, clay Pebbles and shell gravel Algae (including Corallina)
Taxonomic Notes Historically, D. minuta was confused with several similar northern species. Early authors such as G.O. Sars (1878) misidentified multiple Diaphana species, leading to taxonomic instability. Later revisions, especially by Schiøtte (1998), clarified species boundaries and confirmed D. minuta as a distinct, valid species.
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