''Crepidula badisparsa'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Calyptraeidae The Calyptraeidae are a family of small to medium-sized marine prosobranch gastropods.MolluscaBase. Calyptraeidae Lamarck, 1809. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=141 on ...

, the slipper snails or slipper limpets, cup-and-saucer snails, and Chinese hat snails. It is a small species with flecks of tan and dark brown on the shell. It lives attached to other small gastropods in seagrass beds. This species is unusual in that in produces lecithotrophic larvae which hatch as large pediveligers. They swim for a short while before settling. This species is currently found only in Panama.

Background

The marine gastropod species, ''Crepidula badisparsa'', is a part of the family

and is one of the many species of slipper snails found off the coasts of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. The species' name comes from the Latin word "Badisparsa," which means scattered, referring to spots on the snail’s shell. They are also referred to as “Baby’s boats,” “Quarter-deck shells,” and “Lady’s slippers.” They are known for their plastic shells and simple and conservative anatomy.

Distribution

''Crepidula badisparsa'' is currently only found on the Atlantic Coast of Panama at depths between 1 and 2m, in shallow seagrass beds. Specifically, they have been found in

Bocas del Toro Province Bocas del Toro (; meaning "Mouths of the Bull") is a Provinces of Panama, province of Panama. Its area is 4,643.9 square kilometers, comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Al ...

, Cativa (Coco Solo), and Limon Bay, Panama. Other species of ''Crepidula'' have been found by themselves or attached to other snails, but further research is needed to determine whether ''Crepidula badisparsa'' live attached to other snails as well. Due to its limited habitat range and location, little research has been done on ''Crepidula badisparsa''’s ecological role within its habitat.

Description

''Crepidula badisparsa'' are small snails, with a maximum shell length of 13mm. Their shells are mainly white, with at least 50% covered in flecks and streaks of tan and dark brown. Snails in the family ''Crepidula'' have an expanded

foot The foot (: feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is an organ at the terminal part of the leg made up o ...

and a limpet-shaped shell. Their shells also lack muscle scars, and the shape of the individual's shell is determined by the substrate. Their shells also have a flat-shaped “shelf” that extends on the underside of the snail’s shell and houses the internal organs. Slipper snails like ''Crepidula'' have a posterior apex to their flattened shells and a slight lateral curve. Adult ''Crepidula badisparsa'' lack an operculum, a hard sheet that can be attached to the bottom of the snail's foot to plug the aperture. ''Crepidula badisparsa'' have splotches of yellow and cream on its

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s, lips, and lappets on its neck. The back side of its head and neck are black and dark gray with black gills. The shell is attached to the body by a shell muscle extending from the front right portion of the foot to where the shell and shelf meet. The taxonomy of

is well recorded, as the similar morphological characteristics between individual species have made physical identification difficult. This has led to them becoming the subject of many biological and ecological studies, as the consistent taxonomic information makes them favorable subjects.

Reproduction

''Crepidula badisparsa'' reproduce sexually and exhibit protandrous hermaphroditism, meaning they are born male and develop into females as they grow. They lay eggs in transparent capsules that are 286 μm in length. Embryos receive nutrients solely from the yolk and develop vesicles near their heads, as well as an embryonic kidney on both sides of their body. Further details regarding embryonic development and brood size are currently unknown, however, larvae have been observed to hatch as pediveligers with transparent shells around 515 μm in length. Their intestines and velum are also transparent after hatching. Development into pediveligers is unique to this species, as no other members of ''Crepidula'' have been observed doing this.

Diet (feeding habits)

All ''Crepidula'' are

filter feeder Filter feeders are aquatic animals that acquire nutrients by feeding on organic matters, food particles or smaller organisms (bacteria, microalgae and zooplanktons) suspended in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a s ...

s and feed mainly on

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater Aquatic ecosystem, ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), mea ...

. An individual will use adjoining snails to lift itself off the substrate and then use its gills to create currents that trap phytoplankton. Along with this technique, ''Crepidula'' are known to create a mucus net from their gills that catch and transport their food into their food pouch. ''Crepidula'' also use their

radula The radula (; : radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters ...

to transfer the food caught by the gills into the mouth. ''Crepidula’s'' feeding occurs in salinities at or above 20 psu.

References

Calyptraeidae Gastropods described in 2005 {{Calyptraeidae-stub