The BioFiles - Bill Hubick

Whitecap Limpet (Acmaea mitra)

Source: Wikipedia

Acmaea mitra
A live individual of Acmaea mitra. The shell is covered in encrusting red coralline algae, which is why it appears to be pink
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Patellogastropoda
Superfamily: Lottioidea
Family: Acmaeidae
Genus: Acmaea
Species:
A. mitra
Binomial name
Acmaea mitra
Rathke, 1833
Synonyms

Scurria mitra (Rathke, 1833) superseded combination

Acmaea mitra, common name the whitecap limpet, is a species of sea snail or true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Acmaeidae, one of the families of true limpets.

Taxonomy[edit]

Acmaea mitra was placed in the family Acmaeidae for many years, but based on molecular phylogeny evidence by Nakano & Ozawa (2007)[1] Acmaeidae was synonymized with Lottiidae. However, this synonymy was subsequently found incorrect, having been the result of contaminated samples, and Acmaea mitra and a related species, Niveotectura pallida form a well-supported clade outside of the Lottiidae, and Acmaeidae was re-established.[2]

Acmaea mitra is the type of the genus Acmaea[3]

Description[edit]

The length of the shell varies between 12 mm and 38 mm.

Distribution[edit]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Baja California, Mexico.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nakano, T. & T. Ozawa (2007). "Worldwide phylogeography of limpets of the order Patellogastropoda: molecular, morphological and palaeontological evidence". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 73 (1): 79–99. doi:10.1093/mollus/eym001.
  2. ^ Nakano, T. & T. Sasaki (2011). "Recent advances in molecular phylogeny, systematics and evolution of patellogastropod limpets". Journal of Molluscan Studies. 77 (3): 203–217. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyr016.
  3. ^ Gofas, S. (2009). Acmaea Eschscholtz, 1833. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2009) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through the World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137616 on 2010-03-30
  • Rosenberg, G. 1992. Encyclopedia of Seashells. Dorset: New York. 224 pp.
  • Nakano T. & Ozawa T. (2007). Worldwide phylogeography of limpets of the order Patellogastropoda: molecular, morphological and paleontological evidence. Journal of Molluscan Studies 73(1): 79–99.

External links[edit]