''Crepidula atrasolea'' 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 small sea snail, a slipper snail, a marine gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

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 ...

Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails or slipper limpets, cup-and-saucer snails, and hat snails. This species is similar to ''

Crepidula plana ''Crepidula plana'', common name the eastern white slippersnail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails or slipper limpets, cup-and-saucer snails, and hat snails. This species is cha ...

'' and ''

Crepidula depressa ''Crepidula depressa'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails or slipper limpets, cup-and-saucer snails, and hat snails. Distribution ''Crepidula depressa'' occurs along the Gulf coa ...

'', but it can be distinguished from them on the basis of the dark pigment on the foot, and direct-developing embryos. DNA sequence data shows that these three species are closely related within the genus ''Crepidula'', but are not closely related to other flat white species of ''Crepidula'', which occur throughout the phylogeny of the genus. A video showing the differences between the species is availabl
CollinLab videos

Distribution

This species occurs in the Western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

. This species occurs in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. Flat white ''Crepidula'' occurring north of this range are almost certainly ''

''. Old records often confuse ''

'', ''Crepidula atrasolea'' and ''

'', and distribution data should be treated with caution, unless it includes observations of development type, body color, or genetic data.

Description

The maximum recorded

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

length is 15.8 mm. The maximum shell size of this species occurs in females; males are much smaller.

Habitat

The minimum recorded depth for this species is 0 m; maximum recorded depth is 20 m. ''Crepidula atrasolea'' is particularly common living on dead oyster shells in shall reefs and seagrass beds in Florida.

References

External links

Info on the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, a report by R. Collin of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the author of the species

Malacolog info about this species
* http://www.stri.si.edu/sites/collinlab/tree_species/group_c_plana.html * http://www.stri.si.edu/sites/collinlab/tree_species/details.php?id=4
pdfs of publications on calyptraeids by R. Collin
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5184257 Calyptraeidae Gastropods described in 2000