Lottiidae

Family: Lottiidae

Group: Marine Invertebrate, Species

Scientific Name	Common Name	Summary
Acmaea mitra	Whitecap limpet	This limpet is often found on rocks in the mid- to low- intertidal, where it eats the same coralline algae that often adorn its highly domed shell. When found on the beach, its shell is strikingly white and tall, compared to those of other common limpets.
Lottia alveus	Eelgrass limpet	This limpet lives on Eelgrass (Zostera marina). Its Atlantic Ocean cousin is apparently extinct, so it's a reminder of how we shouldn't assume that the ocean is too big to be permanently altered by humans. As for the surfgrass limpet, it is apparently not reported from Southeast Alaska.
Lottia digitalis	Ribbed limpet	This is usually the highest species of big limpet on the beach, way up on the rocks by where Black Band Lichen (Verrucaria maura) grows. It is easily identified by its eccentric apex and bumpy ridges.
Lottia pelta	Shield limpet	This limpet is common at moderately low tides. It is differentiated from other limpets in the same tidal zonation by the heavy ribs near the edge, and the heavier shell.
Lottia scutum	Plate Limpet	This limpet is best identified by its very low profile, general abundance in exposed locations in the high intertidal, and the brown blotch in the middle of the inside of the shell. This species is prone to having Sea Lettuce (Ulva spp) growing on its shell.