Scutellastra barbara

Scutellastra barbara
Five views of a shell of Scutellastra barbara
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Patellogastropoda
Family:	Patellidae
Genus:	Scutellastra
Species:	S. barbara
Binomial name
Scutellastra barbara (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Patella (Scutellastra) barbara Linnaeus, 1758 Patella barbara Linnaeus, 1758

Scutellastra barbara is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Patellidae, one of the families of true limpets. ^[1]

Description

Species has been found to measure around 100 mm. ^[2] Different populations of Patella barbara are both morphologically indistinguishable and genetically homogenous along the coast of South Africa. ^[3]

Distribution

The bearded limpet, Scutellastra barbara, is distributed throughout the east and west coasts of South Africa, between Port Nolloth and Umpangazi. ^[2] The juveniles prefer substrates made of Haliotis midae shells, and they are usually found in intertidal areas at low densities. ^[4]

References

1. Scutellastra barbara (Linnaeus, 1758) . Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species  on 8 April 2010.
2. Kensley, Brian Frederick (1973). Sea-shells of southern Africa. South African Museum (1st ed.). Cape Town: M. Miller [with the South African Museum. ISBN   978-0-623-00369-5.
3. Ridgway, Tyrone M.; Stewart, Barbara A.; Branch, George M. (August 1999). "Limited population differentiation in the bearded limpet Patella barbara (Gatropoda: Patellidae) along the coast of South Africa" . Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 79 (4): 639–651. doi:10.1017/S0025315498000800. ISSN   1469-7769.
4. Branch, G.M. (1975). "Notes on the ecology of Patella concolor and Cellana capensis, and the effects of human consumption on limpet populations". African Zoology. 10 (1).