Malacology
Malacology is the study of mollusks. This includes animals like octopus, snails, slugs, and clams. It is the second largest phylum of animals, making them one of the most successful groups on the planet. There are over 80,000 described species of mollusks with many more left to be discovered. Mullusca is composed of 8 recognized classes including Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Polyplacophora, Scaphapoda, Monoplacophorans, the Aplacophorans, Caudofoveata and Solenogastres, and Bivalvia.
File Fleshy Limpet
(Reeve, 1850)
Lucapinella limatula
Class:
Gastropoda
Order:
Lepetellida
Family:
Fissurellidae
Image Voucher:
ANSP 40875
Shell Information
Length (mm): 12-18
Dextral
Chirality:
This shell is shaped like a flat elongated oval. It has a large opening in the center of the shell where the apex would be. It has alternating large and small radial ribs that form small nodes where they overlap concentric folds. It has a white color with brownish radial bands and a white interior.
Description:
Ecological Information
Distribution:
Depth (m):
North Carolina to Brazil
0 to 146 meters
Diet:
Herbivore; They graze on algae.
Habitat:
Marine; Hard substrates
Misc. Facts
This is also sometimes called the File Keyhole Limpet.
Citations
MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Lucapinella limatula (Reeve, 1850). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=419368 on 2021-06-23
Rosenberg, G., F. Moretzsohn, and E. F. Garc�a. 29. Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579�699 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico�Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas.
Andrews, J. (1971). Seashells of the Texas Coast. University of Texas Press.