''Lottia asmi'', commonly known as the black limpet, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, a marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

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 e ...

in the

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

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 20 ...

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

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

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 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 sea snail in the family Tegulidae.Bouchet, P. (2012). Tegula funebralis (A. Adams, 1855). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at htt ...

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

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

(''Mytilus californianus'') or the speckled turban (''Tegula gallina''), or lives directly on a rock substrate, and on one occasion on a sponge. It favours living mollusc shells but has been found on shells occupied by hermit crabs.

Ecology

''L. asmi'' is a

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

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 found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

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