Striped False Limpet

Siphonaria pectinata

Summary 6

Siphonaria pectinata, common name the striped false limpet, is a species of air-breathing sea snail or false limpet, a marine pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Siphonariidae, the false limpets.

Description 7

Siphonaria pectinata possesses an oval, limpet-like shell that is white to cream-tan in color with numerous radial brown stripes. Examined from above, the apex is slightly off-center with respect to both x-axis and y-axis midlines. As with other members of the family, the underside of the shell exhibits a c-shaped muscle scar (often indistinct) that opens to one side. The underside also shows a shallow siphonal groove that passes through the open end of the muscle scar.Members of the Siphonariidae family are not true limpets. They are a distinct gastropod family exhibiting an evolutionarily convergent (unrelated species exhibit similar form and function) shell morphology well suited for life on wave-swept rocky intertidal shorelines.

Distribution 8

Siphonaria pectinata is widespread throughout the Mediterranean and Atlantic basin north of the equator. It is a common rocky high intertidal inhabitant on the Florida east coast and Florida Keys (Voss 1959, Baker et al. 2004). In east Florida Siphonaria pectinata is restricted primarily to rocky intertidal habitats. In light of its dependence on manmade hard substrate, Baker et al. (2004) refer to S. pectinaria in Florida as an "urban" species.

Look alikes 9

Despite the convergent shell morphology of a number of unrelated gastropod taxa, Siphonaria pectinata should be fairly easy to identify. Keyhole limpets of the genus Diodora are readily discernable by the presence of the 'keyhole' opening at the apex of the shell.

Reproduction 10

A study by Ocana and Emson (1999) reveals aspects of the reproductive biology of S. pectinata populations from Gibraltar that may hold for animals in Florida. Maturation occurred between 6-12 months of age when individuals attained a shell length of 5-6 mm. Spawning occurred from March to June, with activity peaking in the second half of this timeframe. Spawning and egg deposit appeared to be less common at exposed sites relative to protected sites.Small oval ribbons containing several hundred (and up to one-thousand) eggs in a gelatinous matrix are deposited in shallow depressions, cracks and crevices, usually away from home scars the limpets return to at low tide (Voss 1959, Ocana and Emson 1999).

Link to Access Genomic Data 11

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=57642&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7576202538_0f0cb14833_o.jpg
  2. (c) Valter Jacinto, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7576202070_3514d67c0b_o.jpg
  3. (c) Gofas, Serge, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/64887_siphonaria-pectinata-linnaeus-1758-a-specimen-from-calahonda-mailaga-s-spain-actual-size-13-1-mm.jpg
  4. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos53/107762.jpg
  5. (c) Gofas, Serge, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/64886_siphonaria-pectinata-linnaeus-1758-a-specimen-from-calahonda-mailaga-s-spain-actual-size-23-3-mm.jpg
  6. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonaria_pectinata
  7. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526772
  8. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526773
  9. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526775
  10. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11526777
  11. (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved

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