Lottiidae
From Natural History of Southeast Alaska
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. |