Description ³

Diodora cayenensis is a member of the family Fissurellidae. Its shell is conically-shaped and well elevated. The top of the shell has an ovate hole in it called the "keyhole" toward the anterior of the animal. D. cayenensis is exposed to air during low tides and therefore needs to draw water into the shell for respiration and excretion which is then expelled through the keyhole. The foot of cayenne keyhole limpet is used to move slowly across rocky surfaces and to create a strong suction to keep waves from washing the animal from the rocks.The exterior of the shell is characterized by closely arranged ribs of different sizes. The color of the shell is cream with eight darker radial rings that are usually purple in color. The interior of the shell is glossy white. The animal is white with brown and orange-brown spots that are darkest on the head and tentacles.

Distribution ⁴

Range: 39°N to 28°S; 97.6°W to 15°W. Distribution: USA: New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida; Florida: East Florida, West Florida; USA: Louisiana, Flower Garden Banks (East & West), Texas; Mexico; Mexico: Veracruz, Campeche State, Yucatan State, Campeche Bank, Quintana Roo; Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia; ABC Islands: Curacao; Venezuela; Venezuela: Falcon, Sucre, Isla la Blanquilla, Isla Margarita; Bermuda, Cuba; Cuba: Pinar del Rio, North Havana Province, Villa Clara; Cayman Islands; Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman Island; Jamaica; Virgin Islands: St. Croix; St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Grenada; Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam, Brazil; Brazil: Amapa, Para, Fernando de Noronha, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina; Eastern Atlantic: Canary Islands

Link to Access Genomic Data ⁵

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=160021&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Bernadette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bernadette
2. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/detail.asp?species=Diodora%20cayenensis%20(Lamarck,%201822)
3. (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526009
4. (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28469564
5. (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SeaLifeBase
• World Register of Marine Species

Range Map

(c) AquaMaps, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

iNat Map