Littorina saxatilis
Encyclopedia
Littorina saxatilis, common name
the rough periwinkle, is a species
of small sea snail
, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae
, the winkles or periwinkles.
, including Hudson Bay
, Baffin Island
, Greenland
, and the Barents Sea
, south along the American East Coast to Chesapeake Bay
, and along the European coast to the Straits of Gibraltar.
This species has also been introduced to San Francisco Bay
, on the West Coast of the United States
, where it was first observed in 1992.
has 4-5 whorls
. Maximum recorded shell length is 19 mm.
es. it can also be found in crevices of intertidal bedrock
, in empty barnacle
shells, and under rocks. Like many other periwinkles, this species can survive long exposures out of the water.
The species has been recorded alive from depth range 0 - 46 m or up to 183 m (for shells only).
In the exposed Galician coast in the Northern Spain, two well differentiated ecotype
s are adapted to different shore levels and habitats. The RB ecotype (Ridged and Banded) lives on barnacle
s in the upper shore. This ecotype displays a larger and more robust shell to resist the attack from predators such as crab
s, and a smaller shell aperture in order to reduce the desiccation
due to high sunshine exposure. The SU ecotype (Smooth and Unbanded) is found at the lower shore living on mussels. This ecotype shows a smaller and thinner shell with a wider shell aperture to allocate a relatively larger muscular foot providing a higher ability to avoid the dislodgment caused by the heavy wave action. Both ecotypes coexist in an intermediate habitat at the middle shore.
which grazes on the surface of rocks and mud flats.
, and a brood pouch with non-planktonic shelled embryos.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the rough periwinkle, is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae
Littorinidae
Littorinidae is a taxonomic family of over 200 species of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Littorinimorpha, commonly known as periwinkles and found world-wide.-Names:...
, the winkles or periwinkles.
Distribution
This species is native to the shores of the North Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, including Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
, south along the American East Coast to Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, and along the European coast to the Straits of Gibraltar.
This species has also been introduced to San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, where it was first observed in 1992.
Shell description
The shell in life often appears green with algae, but the shell itself can be white, red, or brown, sometimes with checkered lines. The shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
has 4-5 whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
. Maximum recorded shell length is 19 mm.
Habitat
This species frequently lives in salt marshSalt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es. it can also be found in crevices of intertidal bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
, in empty barnacle
Barnacle
A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have...
shells, and under rocks. Like many other periwinkles, this species can survive long exposures out of the water.
The species has been recorded alive from depth range 0 - 46 m or up to 183 m (for shells only).
In the exposed Galician coast in the Northern Spain, two well differentiated ecotype
Ecotype
In evolutionary ecology, an ecotype,Greek: οίκος = home and τύπος = type, coined by Göte Turesson in 1922 sometimes called ecospecies, describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within species , which is adapted to specific environmental conditions.Typically, ecotypes...
s are adapted to different shore levels and habitats. The RB ecotype (Ridged and Banded) lives on barnacle
Barnacle
A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have...
s in the upper shore. This ecotype displays a larger and more robust shell to resist the attack from predators such as crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, and a smaller shell aperture in order to reduce the desiccation
Desiccation tolerance
Desiccation tolerance refers to the ability of an organism to withstand or endure extreme dryness, or drought-like conditions. Plants and animals living in arid or periodically arid environments such as temporary streams or ponds may face the challenge of desiccation, therefore physiological or...
due to high sunshine exposure. The SU ecotype (Smooth and Unbanded) is found at the lower shore living on mussels. This ecotype shows a smaller and thinner shell with a wider shell aperture to allocate a relatively larger muscular foot providing a higher ability to avoid the dislodgment caused by the heavy wave action. Both ecotypes coexist in an intermediate habitat at the middle shore.
Feeding habits
This snail is a herbivoreHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
which grazes on the surface of rocks and mud flats.
Life cycle
The marine snail Littorina saxatilis has separate sexes, internal fertilizationInternal fertilization
In mammals, internal fertilization is done through copulation, which involves the insertion of the penis into the vagina. Some other higher vertebrate animals reproduce internally, but their fertilization is cloacal.The union of spermatozoa of the parent organism. At some point, the growing egg or...
, and a brood pouch with non-planktonic shelled embryos.
Synonyms
- Litorina groenlandica Menke, 1830
- Litorina incarnata Philippi, 1846
- Litorina marmorata L. Pfeiffer, 1839
- Litorina sulcata Menke, 1830
- Littorina castanea Deshayes in Deshayes & Milne Edwards, 1843
- Littorina danieli Locard, 1886
- Littorina groenlandica (Menke, 1830)
- Littorina neglecta Bean, 1844
- Littorina nervillei Dautzenberg, 1893
- Littorina nervillei var. major Pallary in Seurat, 1924
- Littorina nigrolineata Gray, 1839
- Littorina palliata var. turritella Schlesch, 1916
- Littorina rudis (Maton, 1797) (synonym)
- Littorina rudis f. elatior Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina rudis var. albida Dautzenberg, 1887
- Littorina rudis var. alticola Dacie, 1917
- Littorina rudis var. aurantia Dautzenberg, 1887
- Littorina rudis var. brevis Dautzenberg, 1887
- Littorina rudis var. conoidea Schlesch, 1916
- Littorina rudis var. fasciata Dautzenberg, 1887
- Littorina rudis var. finmarchia Herzenstein, 1885
- Littorina rudis var. globosa Jeffreys, 1865
- Littorina rudis var. globosa Martel, 1901
- Littorina rudis var. laevis Jeffreys, 1865
- Littorina rudis var. major Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina rudis var. rubescens Monterosato, 1878
- Littorina rudis var. scotia S.M. Smith, 1979
- Littorina rudis var. similis Jeffreys, 1865
- Littorina rudis var. sulcata Martel, 1901
- Littorina rudis var. tenebrosapallida L.E. Adams, 1896
- Littorina rudis var. tessellata Dautzenberg, 1893
- Littorina saxatile La Roque, 1953
- Littorina saxatile saxatile La Roque, 1953
- Littorina saxatilis Johnston, 1842
- Littorina saxatilis f. abbreviata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis f. conoidea Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis f. elongata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis f. minor Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis groenlandica (Menke, 1830)
- Littorina saxatilis groenlandica var. sculpta Schlesch, 1931
- Littorina saxatilis jugosa Montagu, 1803
- Littorina saxatilis jugosa var. bynei Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis jugosa var. tenuis James, 1968
- Littorina saxatilis nigrolineata Gray, 1839
- Littorina saxatilis rudis (Maton, 1797)
- Littorina saxatilis rudis var. rudissimoides James, 1968
- Littorina saxatilis scotia Graham, 1988
- Littorina saxatilis tenebrosa (Montagu, 1803)
- Littorina saxatilis tenebrosa var. biinterrupta Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1963
- Littorina saxatilis tenebrosa var. bizonaria James, 1963
- Littorina saxatilis tenebrosa var. elata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis tenebrosa var. maculata Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1963
- Littorina saxatilis var. clarilineata Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1971
- Littorina saxatilis var. flammulata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis var. fulva Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis var. fusca Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis var. gascae Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1971
- Littorina saxatilis var. groenlandica (Menke, 1830)
- Littorina saxatilis var. hieroglyphica Fischer-Piette, Gaillard & Jouin, 1961
- Littorina saxatilis var. interrupta Fischer-Piette, Gaillard & Jouin, 1961
- Littorina saxatilis var. lagunae Barnes, 1993
- Littorina saxatilis var. lineata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis var. lugubris Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis var. nigra Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1971
- Littorina saxatilis var. nojensis Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1964
- Littorina saxatilis var. rubra Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1971
- Littorina saxatilis var. rubrolineata Fischer-Piette, Gaillard & Delmas, 1967
- Littorina saxatilis var. salvati Fischer-Piette, Gaillard & Delmas, 1967
- Littorina saxatilis var. sanguinea Coen, 1933
- Littorina saxatilis var. sellensis Fischer-Piette & Gaillard, 1964
- Littorina saxatilis var. tractibus Fischer-Piette, Gaillard & Jouin, 1961
- Littorina saxatilis var. trifasciata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1912
- Littorina saxatilis zonata Daniel, 1883
- Littorina saxoides Nardo, 1847
- Littorina simplex Reeve, 1857
- Littorina tenebrosa (Montagu, 1803)
- Littorina tenebrosa f. elatior Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina tenebrosa var. costulata Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina tenebrosa var. densecostulata Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina tenebrosa var. grisolacteus Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina tenebrosa var. intermedia Forbes & Hanley, 1850
- Littorina tenebrosa var. rubidus Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina tenebrosa var. tessellatus Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina tenebrosa var. zonatus Middendorff, 1849
- Littorina zonaria Bean, 1844
- Nerita rustica Nardo, 1847
- Turbo obligatus Say, 1822
- Turbo rudis Maton, 1797
- Turbo rudissimus Johnston, 1842
Further reading
- Carvajal-Rodríguez A., Conde-Padín P. & Rolán-Alvarez E (2005). "Decomposing shell form into size and shape by geometric morphometric methods in two sympatric ecotypes of Littorina saxatilis. Journal of Molluscan StudiesJournal of Molluscan StudiesThe Journal of Molluscan Studies is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in malacology.Previous names of this journal include Proceedings of the Malacological Society, Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London The Journal of Molluscan Studies is a peer-reviewed scientific...
71: 313-318. - Galindo J., Morán P. & Rolán-Alvarez E. (2009). "Comparing geographical genetic differentiation between candidate and noncandidate loci for adaptation strengthens support for parallel ecological divergence in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis". Molecular Ecology 18: 919-930.
- Hayward, P.J.; Ryland, J.S. (Ed.) (1990). The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods. Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-857356-1. 627 pp.
- Johannesson B. (1986). "Shell morphology of Littorina saxatilis Olivi the relative importance of physical factors and predation". J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 102: 183-195.
- Johannesson K., Johannesson B. & Rolán-Alvarez E. (1993). "Morphological differentiation and genetic cohesiveness over a micro-environmental gradient in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis". Evolution 47: 1770-1787.
- Reid, D.G. (1989a) The comparative morphology, phylogeny and evolution of the gastropod family Littorinidae. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 324: 1-110
- Reid D.G. (1996). Systematics and evolution of Littorina. The Ray Society 463p.
- Rolán-Alvarez E. (2007). "Sympatric speciation as a by-product of ecological adaptation in the Galicia Littorina saxatilis hybrid zone". Journal of Molluscan StudiesJournal of Molluscan StudiesThe Journal of Molluscan Studies is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in malacology.Previous names of this journal include Proceedings of the Malacological Society, Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London The Journal of Molluscan Studies is a peer-reviewed scientific...
73: 1-10. - Rolán-Alvarez E., Johannesson K. & Erlandsson J. (1997). "The maintenance of a cline in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis: the role of home site advantage and hybrid fitness in ecotype formation". Evolution 51: 1838-1847.