Sea butterfly
- "I caught a sea butterfly! I didn't even use a net!" —Wild World and New Leaf
- "I caught a sea butterfly! I wonder if it used to be a sea caterpillar?" —City Folk
- "I caught a sea butterfly! Try not to confuse it for a sea moth!" —New Horizons
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| Name: Clione limacina (naked sea butterfly) Family: Clionidae (sea butterflies) | ||||||
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Names in other languages
クリオネ
海蝴蝶 Clione Mariposa marina Cavolinia Морской ангел
클리오네 海蝴蝶 Clione Mariposa marina See-Engel Zeevlinder | ||||||
The Sea Butterfly (クリオネ, Kurione) is a fish introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World. They can be caught in the ocean during winter and are the only winter fish that cast such a small shadow in the sea and so, can be identified easily.
Catch details
In Pocket Camp
Friendship Points
In New Horizons
"I caught a sea butterfly! Try not to confuse it for a sea moth!"
| Time of year | North: Dec – Mar South: Jun – Sep |
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| Time of day | All day |
| Location | Sea |
| Shadow size | X-Small |
| Spawn requirement | Unknown |
| Selling prices |  Nook's Cranny:  1,000 Bells C.J.: 1,500 Bells
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| Furniture size | 
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Donating to the museum
The Sea Butterfly can be donated to the Museum by talking to Blathers. Below is what he says during the donation:
In Wild World
- "The sea butterfly is in the same family as snails, as you may or may not know. You might think it's strange to have a snail without a shell, eh wot? Indeed, well, slugs are also snails without shells! I must admit, being lumped in with slugs probably angers the sea butterfly.
The Sea Butterfly is placed in the large ocean tank in the aquatic display in the back room.
In City Folk
It occupies a large glass tube in the lower-right corner of the fish exhibition, with other small oceanic fish.
In New Leaf
Upon donation, the information board outside the tank that houses the Sea Butterfly says:
- "Sea butterflies go with the flow, as they'll drift in cold winter waters along the ice floes. They are called "ice-floe angels" because of the mysterious way they swim with their winglike arms. Their heads will open up when they make an attempt to catch their helpless prey. Once its head is opened, it grabs its prey with six special feelers called "buccal cones". The only place you'll find both cold-water and tropical sea butterflies swimming together is in this game."
In New Horizons
- Such mystery! Such grace! Did you know that the sea butterfly's scientific name is Thecosomata? A very rough translation of that is "shell body." Indeed, this illustrious creature is related to snails! However, it reminds me much more of an elegant feathered friend, the way it flies through the water. With such grace in flying, one shouldn't wonder if it's related to the owl, hoo hoo!
When the Sea Butterfly is donated, six of them will appear in the northern room of the fish exhibit, in a tall tubular tank with a light blue crystal. It is one of the few fish which the museum will have multiple of upon its donation.
Encyclopedia information
Wild World
City Folk
Further information
The sea butterfly that appears in the series is specifically the Clione limacina, also known as the naked sea butterfly, sea angel, and common clione. They can be found in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean, Antarctic Ocean and in the North Atlantic; mirrored, in-game, by their appearance during the winter months. They can grow up to 5 centimeters in length.
Names in other languages
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クリオネ kurione |
Clione |
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클리오네 keullione |
Clione |
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海蝴蝶 hǎi húdié / hǎi tiānshí |
Sea butterfly / Sea angel |
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海天使 Unknown |
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Морской ангел Morskoy angel |
Sea angel |
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Zeevlinder | Sea butterfly |
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See-Engel | Sea angel |
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Mariposa marina | Sea butterfly |
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Clione | Clione |
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Papillon de mer | Sea butterfly |
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Cavolinia | A different genus of sea butterfly |
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