Sea butterfly

From Nookipedia, the Animal Crossing wiki
Not to be confused with the butterfly fish.

Artwork of sea butterfly
Real-world info
Name: Clione limacina
(naked sea butterfly)

Family: Clionidae (sea butterflies)
Main appearances

Other appearances
Names in other languages
 クリオネ
 海天使
 Clione
 Mariposa marina
 Cavolinia
 Морской ангел
 클리오네
 海天使
 Papillon de mer
 Mariposa marina
 See-Engel
 Zeevlinder

The sea butterfly[nb 1] is a sea fish in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World. In games prior to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it is available exclusively during winter - in New Horizons, this was extended to include winter and early spring. During its seasonality window, the sea butterfly is the only saltwater fish with a tiny shadow size.

Catch details[edit]

In Wild World[edit]

#36

Sea butterfly
"I caught a sea butterfly! I didn't even use a net!"

Description A type of snail, it eats plankton and shellfish. It navigates the water by flapping its "wings."
Time of year Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Peak times Dec – Jan
Location Sea
Shadow size Tiny
Fish size 3 cm
Selling price  1,000 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In City Folk[edit]

#38

Sea butterfly
"I caught a sea butterfly! I wonder if it used to be a sea caterpillar?"

Description Some say these resemble angels, but they look like devils when they feed.
Time of year Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Peak times N/A
Location Sea
Shadow size Tiny
Fish size About 1.2 in.
Selling price  1,000 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In New Leaf[edit]

#43

Sea butterfly
"I caught a sea butterfly! I didn't even use a net!"

Time of year Dec – Feb
Time of day All day
Peak times 9 PM – 4 AM
Location Sea
Shadow size Tiny
Fish size 3 cm
Selling price  1,000 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


In Pocket Camp[edit]

#80

Sea butterfly

Availability Not currently available
  • 2018-05-19 – 2018-05-24 (Fishing Tourney #2)
  • 2019-12-27 – 2020-03-27
  • 2020-12-28 – 2021-03-26
  • 2021-12-24 – 2022-03-24
Location Saltwater Shores PC Map Icon.png Saltwater Shores
Shadow size Tiny
Size 2.5 cm – 3.5 cm
Rarity ★★
Selling price  300 Bells
Version added Unknown
Villager gift data Tier: 3 (Uncommon+)

Rewards:


In New Horizons[edit]

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the sea butterfly appears as a default item in Wade's house.

#47

Sea butterfly
"I caught a sea butterfly! Try not to confuse it for a sea moth!"

Time of year North: Dec – Mar
South: Jun – Sep
Time of day All day
Location Sea
Shadow size Tiny
Rarity Common
Spawn requirement Appears from the start of the game
Selling prices  Nook's Cranny 1,000 Bells
 C.J. 1,500 Bells
Furniture size 1.0 x 1.0


Donating to the museum[edit]

The sea butterfly can be donated to the museum by talking to Blathers. Below is what he says during the donation:

In Wild World[edit]

"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 sea tank in the aquatic display in the back room.

In City Folk[edit]

It occupies a large glass tube in the lower-right corner of the fish exhibition, with other small sea fish.

In New Leaf[edit]

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[edit]

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"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.

Fishing Tourney[edit]

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a sea butterfly, Chip will say the following dialogue.

In City Folk[edit]

"With sea butterfly, it's all about the texture! Bouncy, squishy, and melty at once! Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf[edit]

"When it comes to sea butterflies, you don't need a net or nothing. Nope, just a pole! Nyuk nyuk nyuk! ...OK, down it goes!"

Gallery[edit]

Real-world information[edit]

A real-life Clione limacina

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[edit]

Japanese クリオネ
kurione
Clione

Korean 클리오네
keullione
Clione

Simplified Chinese 海天使
hǎi tiānshí
Sea angel

Russian Морской ангел
Morskoy angel
Sea angel

Dutch Zeevlinder Sea butterfly

German See-Engel Sea angel

European Spanish Mariposa marina Sea butterfly

European French Clione Clione

Quebec French Papillon de mer Sea butterfly

Italian Cavolinia A different genus of sea butterfly

Notes[edit]

  1. Japanese: クリオネ Hepburn: Kurione