''Lottia asmi'', commonly known as the black limpet, 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 ...

Lottiidae Lottiidae is a family (biology), family of sea snails, specifically true limpets, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Lottioidea and the clade Patellogastropoda (according to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocr ...

. It is found in shallow water in the eastern Pacific Ocean, usually in the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...

Description

This small limpet grows to a length of and a height of , the apex being closer to the anterior end. The exterior is smooth and often rather worn, but fine sculptured radial ridges are sometimes visible near the margin. The exterior is brownish- or greyish-black, and the interior is black, sometimes with a pale band near the margin.

Distribution and habitat

''Lottia asmi'' is native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean, its range extending from southern Alaska to the

Revillagigedo Islands The Revillagigedo Islands (, ) or Revillagigedo Archipelago are a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, known for their unique ecosystem. They lie approximately from Socorro Island south and southwest of Cabo San Lucas, the sout ...

in Mexico. It is usually found in the

living on the shell of the

black turban snail ''Tegula funebralis'', the black turban snail or black tegula, is a species of medium-sized marine (ocean), marine sea snail in the family Tegulidae.Bouchet, P. (2012). Tegula funebralis (A. Adams, 1855). Accessed through: World Register of Marin ...

(''Tegula funebralis''). It occasionally inhabits the shell of the

California mussel The California mussel (''Mytilus californianus'') is a large edible mussel, a Marine (ocean), marine bivalve mollusc, mollusk in the family Mytilidae. This species is native to the west coast of North America, occurring from northern Mexico to ...

(''Mytilus californianus'') or the speckled turban (''Tegula gallina''), or lives directly on a rock

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

, and on one occasion on a sponge. It favours living mollusc shells but has been found on shells occupied by

hermit crab Hermit crabs are anomuran Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit c ...

Ecology

''L. asmi'' is a

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat ...

and grazes on the microalgae growing on the shell of its host. It may change from one host shell to another at low tide, when the turban shells tend to aggregate. At Pigeon Point, California, juveniles reach maturity at about eight months old. Reproduction is intermittent throughout the year, with possible spawning events in March and another in October as well as a prolonged spawning period in mid-summer. The larvae pass through a

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

ic phase with a coiled shell before settling, undergoing metamorphosis and adopting the adult, conical shape. This is a fast growing species with a high reproductive output.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lottia Digitalis Lottiidae Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Gastropods described in 1847