''Acmaea mitra'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

the whitecap limpet, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of sea snail or true

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails that exhibit a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. Limpets are members of the class Gastropoda, but are polyphyletic, meaning the various groups called "limpets" ...

, a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod mollusc in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Acmaeidae, one of the families of true limpets.

Taxonomy

''Acmaea mitra'' was placed in the family Acmaeidae for many years, but based on molecular phylogeny evidence by Nakano & Ozawa (2007) Acmaeidae was synonymized with

Lottiidae Lottiidae is a family of sea snails, specifically true limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Lottioidea and the clade Patellogastropoda (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). Subfamilies ...

. However, this synonymy was subsequently found incorrect, having been the result of contaminated samples, and ''Acmaea mitra'' and a related species, ''

Niveotectura pallida ''Niveotectura pallida'' is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae, one of the families of true limpets. Description The shell can grow to be 32 mm to 60 mm. Distribution ''Niveotectura pal ...

'' form a well-supported clade outside of the

, and Acmaeidae was re-established. ''Acmaea mitra'' is the type of the genus ''

Acmaea ''Acmaea'' is a genus of sea snails, specifically true limpets, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Acmaeidae, one of the families of true limpets.Bouchet, P.; Rosenberg, G.; Gofas, S. (2014). Acmaea Eschscholtz, 1833. Accessed through: W ...

''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

References

File:Acmaea mitra 002.jpg, apical view File:Acmaea mitra 001.jpg, basal view mitra Gastropods described in 1833 {{Patellogastropoda-stub