''Scutellastra mexicana'' 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), ...
of
true limpet
The Patellogastropoda, common name true limpets and historically called the Docoglossa, are members of a major phylogenetic group of marine gastropods, treated by experts either as a clade or as a taxonomic order.
The clade Patellogastropoda is ...
, 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 ...
Patellidae
Patellidae is a taxonomic family of true limpets, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Patelloidea.
(The superfamily Patelloidea should not be confused with the similar-sounding genus of true limpets '' Patelloida'' which is in the ...
.
It is the largest known limpet in the world.
This species has been harvested since pre-Hispanic times. In Mexico, it was harvested heavily in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to closing of the fishery in 1988. However, the harvest has continued, and it is feared that ''Scutellastra mexicana'' is in danger of extinction.
Description
''Scutellastra mexicana'' can reach in length.
Distribution and habitat
''Scutellastra mexicana'' occurs along the American Pacific coast from Mexico to Peru.
It inhabits lower
intertidal
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 sp ...
and subtidal rocky areas exposed to heavy swells.
References
Further reading
*
Patellidae
Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean
Gastropods described in 1829
Taxa named by William Broderip
Taxa named by George Brettingham Sowerby I
{{Patellidae-stub