Diodora graeca

Last updated

Diodora graeca
Diodora graeca 01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Vetigastropoda
Order: Lepetellida
Family: Fissurellidae
Genus: Diodora
Species:
D. graeca
Binomial name
Diodora graeca

Diodora graeca, the Greek keyhole limpet, is a sea snail or limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets. [1]

Contents

It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Patella graeca (basionym).

Distribution

This keyhole limpet can be found beneath stones and clinging to rocks in the sublittoral zone (up to a depth of a few hundred meters) in the Mediterranean and West Africa to the North Sea (widespread on the coasts of Ireland and western Britain) and the subarctic North Atlantic. The specimens washed up on the beaches of the North Sea are almost certainly fossils (from the Pliocene and the Eemian), as this species no longer occurs in the south-eastern part of the North Sea. [2]

Description

The oval shell is small (25 mm long and 18 mm wide) and rather flat. It has no whorls and is shield-shaped. The base of the shell is somewhat bent. Its aperture is situated at the dorsum and is keyhole-shaped. This hole serves as an outlet for water and waste products. The shell has a slight reticulated sculpture with concentric cords crossed by radial ridges and with the alternate ridges larger. The color of the shell varies from creamy white to yellow white and is often slightly orange tinted.

This species is mainly herbivorous and also feeds on detritus. The animal has a broad creeping foot and a developed mantle. Its carotenoid content has been investigated and the following substances have been found : α-, β, γ-carotene, zeaxanthin, diatoxanthin, mutatoxanthin and astaxanthin. [3]

Synonyms

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fissurellidae</span> Family of limpet-like sea snails

Fissurellidae, common name the keyhole limpets and slit limpets, is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized limpet-like sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Vetigastropoda.

<i>Diodora cayenensis</i> Species of gastropod

Diodora cayenensis, the Cayenne keyhole limpet, is a species of small to medium-sized sea snail or limpet, a western Atlantic marine prosobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Tritia reticulata</i> Species of gastropod

Tritia reticulata, common name the "netted dog whelk", is a species of small European sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nassariidae, the dog whelks or nassa mud snails.

<i>Diodora</i> Genus of gastropods

Diodora is a genus of small to medium-sized keyhole limpet in the family Fissurellidae.

<i>Patella</i> (gastropod) Genus of gastropods

Patella is a genus of sea snails with gills, typical true limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Patellidae, the true limpets.

<i>Fissurella</i> Genus of gastropods

Fissurella is a genus of small to medium-sized sea snails or limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Fissurellinae of the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

Diodora candida is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Diodora dysoni</i> Species of gastropod

Diodora dysoni, common name Dyson's keyhole limpet, is a species of small sea snail or limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Emarginula fissura</i> Species of gastropod

Emarginula fissura, the common slit limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Fissurella barbadensis</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella barbadensis is a species of limpet in family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets. It is known commonly as the Barbados keyhole limpet and the rugose slit limpet. This species is native to the western Atlantic Ocean, including many islands of the Caribbean.

<i>Fissurella bravensis</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella bravensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Fissurella gaillardi</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella gaillardi is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets. It occurs in Cape Verde.

<i>Fissurella nodosa</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella nodosa, commonly known as the knobbed keyhole limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Fissurella nubecula</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella nubecula, common name the cloudy keyhole limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Fissurella salvatiana</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella salvatiana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Fissurella verna</i> Species of gastropod

Fissurella verna is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.

<i>Scutus unguis</i> Species of gastropod

Scutus unguis, common name the northern duck's bill, is a species of large sea snail or limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets and slit limpets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fissurellinae</span> Subfamily of gastropods

The subfamily Fissurellinae, common name the keyhole limpets and slit limpets, is a taxonomic subfamily of limpet-like sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Fissurellidae.

<i>Diodora jukesii</i> Species of gastropod

Diodora jukesii, common name Jukes' keyhole limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets and slit limpets.

References

  1. ↑ Diodora graeca (Linnaeus, 1758) . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 17 December 2018.
  2. ↑ Oliver, A.P.H. (2004). Guide to Seashells of the World. Buffalo: Firefly Books. 25.
  3. ↑ Czeczuga, Basyli (1980). "Carotenoid contents in Diodora graeca (L.) (Gastropoda: Fissurellidae from the Mediterranean (Monaco)". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B. 65 (2): 439–441. doi:10.1016/0305-0491(80)90045-0.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.