Sea butterfly

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Not to be confused with the butterfly fish.

Sea butterfly
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Clione limacina (naked sea butterfly) Family: Clionidae (sea butterflies)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
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 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 winder and early spring. During its seasonality window, the sea butterfly is the only saltwater fish with a tiny shadow size.

Catch details

In Wild World

#36

"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

In City Folk

#38

"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

In New Leaf

#43

"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

In Pocket Camp

#80

Event availability	Fishing Tourney #2
Location	Saltwater Shores
Shadow size	Tiny
Fish size	2.5 cm - 3.5 cm
Rarity	★★
Catch rate	Cannot be caught at this time
Selling price	300 Bells
Request reward	1,500 Bells, 3 Friendship Points Fortune Cookie (20%), Bronze Treats (30%)

In New Horizons

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

#47

"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

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 sea 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 sea 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

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

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

In City Folk

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

In New Leaf

"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

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

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  Animal Crossing: City Folk

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  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

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  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

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

	クリオネ kurione	Clione
	클리오네 keullione	Clione
	海天使 hǎi tiānshí	Sea angel
	Морской ангел Morskoy angel	Sea angel
	Zeevlinder	Sea butterfly
	See-Engel	Sea angel
	Mariposa marina	Sea butterfly
	Clione	Clione
	Papillon de mer	Sea butterfly
	Cavolinia	A different genus of sea butterfly

Notes

Pocket Camp fish

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