| Lottia scabra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A shell of Lottia scabra | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Patellogastropoda |
| Family: | Lottiidae |
| Genus: | Lottia |
| Species: | L. scabra |
| Binomial name | |
| Lottia scabra (Gould, 1846) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Lottia scabra or the rough limpet is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae. [1]
L. scabra grows to a length of about thirty-five millimetres and has conspicuous rugged radial ribs with darker-coloured interspaces and a boldly scalloped margin. The apex is a quarter of the way across the shell and the anterior slope is neither concave nor convex. The shell is a mottled grey and tan colour and the head and the side of foot are white with black spots. [2]
The shell size is between 19 and 40 mm and the shell is rather depressed. The apex of the shell has a small depression, a very elongated outline and is located at the anterior third of the shell. In some specimens the apex is nearly central, with a rounded shell. [3]
The axial sculpture shows very strong, close, rough ribs with smaller intervening riblets in the interstices. The shell of a young snail is extremely inequilateral and develops rapidly the characteristic ribs. [3]
The shell has a white color with fine brown lines between the main ribs. These brown lines dot the otherwise uniform white margin. The principal ribs are sometimes rather sharp, palmating the margin. Occasionally they are small and crowded, becoming faint at the margin. [3]
The interior of the shell is white with darker spots and bars. It shows a white callus, through which the darker spots appear. These take occasionally the form of irregular ghostly bars (which gave rise to its synonymous name Acmaea spectrum - spectrum = ghost). [3]
The very strong ribs at the outside and the curiously marked interior, like the print of a hand, are prominent characteristics of this species. [3]
L. scabra is found on the Pacific coast of North America from Cape Arago, Oregon to southern Baja California. It is abundant in the higher littoral zone on horizontal rock surfaces on both exposed and protected coastlines. It homes at low tide to a specific site where the contours of its shell match the rock surface. It is sometimes found living on Lottia gigantea . [2]
L. scabra lives on the shoreline often above high water mark in the splash zone. When the rock is wet it moves about and uses its radula to rasp microscopic algae and diatoms off the rock surface. Over time, using the scalloped edge of its shell, it grinds a groove in a rock until the shell makes a perfect fit. This enables it to remain alive under conditions that would otherwise cause desiccation. [4]
At Mission Point on the California coast, L. scabra coexists with the similar species, Lottia digitalis , but each occupies a slightly different habitat. L. digitalis tends to occupy vertical rock faces or overhangs and certain horizontal ones clothed by algae and barnacles. L. digitalis clump together more often, prefer wave-exposed areas, occupy sites further up the shore and are seldom found in rock pools. Both species move about freely when the tide is up but L. digitalis settles in a different location at each low tide whereas L. scabra tends to home to the same spot. L. scabra has a more rugged outline and grows to fit the rock surface of its home base. The differences in micro-habitat may be explained by its greater tolerance of exposure to desiccation during low tides in less protected sites because it is able to retain water better. If transplanted to unfamiliar territory, each species soon reselects its typical base habitat. [5]
In an experiment, when these two species were caged together with only vertical surfaces available, it was found that L. scabra grew at a much slower rate and achieved a much smaller maximum size than similar limpets in control plots. It seems that the ability of L. digitalis to respond to seasonal changes by moving up and down the shore and utilising resources better give it an edge over the more static species which remains for life in its restricted home range. L. scabra is less able to compete under optimal conditions and is therefore restricted to horizontal, more-desiccating habitats. [6]
A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. These pools typically range from a few inches to a few feet deep and a few feet across. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only at low tide, as seawater gets trapped when the tide recedes. Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. A tidal cycle is usually about 25 hours and consists of one or two high tides and two low tides.
The Patellogastropoda, common name true limpets and historically called the Docoglossa, are members of a major phylogenetic group of marine gastropods, treated by experts either as a clade or as a taxonomic order.
Intertidal ecology is the study of intertidal ecosystems, where organisms live between the low and high tide lines. At low tide, the intertidal is exposed whereas at high tide, the intertidal is underwater. Intertidal ecologists therefore study the interactions between intertidal organisms and their environment, as well as between different species of intertidal organisms within a particular intertidal community. The most important environmental and species interactions may vary based on the type of intertidal community being studied, the broadest of classifications being based on substrates—rocky shore and soft bottom communities.
Lottia is a genus of sea snails, specifically true limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Lottiinae of the family Lottiidae, one of the families of true limpets.
A rocky shore is an intertidal area of seacoasts where solid rock predominates. Rocky shores are biologically rich environments, and are a useful "natural laboratory" for studying intertidal ecology and other biological processes. Due to their high accessibility, they have been well studied for a long time and their species are well known.
Lottia pelta, common name the shield limpet, is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae. It is still designated under its synonym Collisella pelta in many textbooks.
Cellana sandwicensis, common name the yellow-foot ʻopihi, is a species of edible true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nacellidae, one of the families of true limpets.
Seashore wildlife habitats exist from the Tropics to the Arctic and Antarctic. Seashores and beaches provide varied habitats in different parts of the world, and even within the same beach. Phytoplankton is at the bottom of some food chains, while zooplankton and other organisms eat phytoplankton. Kelp is also autotrophic and at the bottom of many food chains. Coastal areas are stressed through rapid changes, for example due to tides.
Lottia gigantea, common name the owl limpet, is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Lottiidae. Its genome has been sequenced at the Joint Genome Institute.
Lottia digitalis, commonly known as the fingered limpet or ribbed limpet, is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae. These limpets are usually found on the surface of rocks in the high intertidal region on the coastal fringes of the north-eastern Pacific Ocean.
Lottia persona is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae, one of the families of true limpets.
Patella ferruginea, commonly known as the ferruginous limpet is a species of true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Patellidae. It is a large limpet, endemic to the western Mediterranean Sea, and although common in the past, it is now rare and restricted to only a few locations.
Scutellastra longicosta, the long-spined limpet or the duck's foot limpet, is a species of true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Patellidae, one of the families of true limpets. It is native to the coasts of South Africa where it is found on the foreshore. It cultivates a species of crustose brown algae in a "garden".
Diodora aspera, also known as the rough keyhole limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets. Although similar in appearance to a common limpet, it has a hole near the apex of its shell, and is only distantly related. It often has a scaled polychaete worm Arctonoe vittata living inside its shell as a commensal. In the event that it is attacked by a starfish, it extends flaps of mantle to defend itself, and the worm also helps drive the predator away.
Emarginula fissura, the common slit limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.
Hemimarginula pumila, the pygmy ermarginula, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets.
Crassadoma is a genus of rock scallops, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Pectinidae. It is monotypic, the only species being Crassadoma gigantea, the rock scallop, giant rock scallop or purple-hinge rock scallop. Although the small juveniles are free-swimming, they soon become sessile, and are cemented to the substrate. These scallops occur in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Semibalanus cariosus, commonly known as the thatched barnacle, rock barnacle or horse barnacle, is a species of acorn barnacle occurring in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Lottia instabilis is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae. Common names include the unstable limpet, the unstable seaweed limpet and the rocking chair limpet. It is native to the northern Pacific Ocean where it feeds on kelp in the intertidal zone and the shallow sub-littoral zone.
Lottia asmi, commonly known as the black limpet, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae. It is found in shallow water in the eastern Pacific Ocean, usually in the intertidal zone.
