Macklintockia scabra
Encyclopedia
Macklintockia scabra, common name
the California rough limpet, is a species of small sea snail
or limpet
, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the family
Nacellidae
, the true limpet
s.
Macklintockia scabra is the only species in the genus Macklintockia.
and Baja California
.
l size is between 19 and 40 mm and the shell is rather depressed. The apex
of the shell has a small depression, a very elongated outline and is located at the anterior third of the shell. In some specimens the apex is nearly central, with a rounded shell.
The axial sculpture
shows very strong, close, rough ribs with smaller intervening riblets in the interstices. The shell of a young snail is extremely inequilateral and develops rapidly the characteristic ribs.
The shell has a white color with fine brown lines between the main ribs. These brown lines dot the otherwise uniform white margin. The principal ribs are sometimes rather sharp, palmating the margin. Occasionally they are small and crowded, becoming faint at the margin.
The interior of the shell is white with darker spots and bars. It shows a white callus, through which the darker spots appear. These take occasionally the form of irregular ghostly bars (which gave rise to its synonymous name Acmaea spectrum - spectrum = ghost).
The very strong ribs at the outside and the curiously marked interior, like the print of a hand, are prominent characteristics of this species.
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 California rough limpet, is a species of small sea snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
or limpet
Limpet
Limpet is a common name for a number of different kinds of saltwater and freshwater snails ; it is applied to those snails that have a simple shell which is more or less conical in shape, and either is not spirally coiled, or appears not to be coiled in the adult snails.The name limpet is most...
, 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
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Nacellidae
Nacellidae
Nacellidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails or true limpets, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Patellogastropoda.Nacellidae is the only family in the superfamily Nacelloidea...
, the true limpet
Limpet
Limpet is a common name for a number of different kinds of saltwater and freshwater snails ; it is applied to those snails that have a simple shell which is more or less conical in shape, and either is not spirally coiled, or appears not to be coiled in the adult snails.The name limpet is most...
s.
Macklintockia scabra is the only species in the genus Macklintockia.
Distribution
Macklintockia scabra is found along the Pacific coast of North America, between OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
.
Description
The shelGastropod 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...
l size is between 19 and 40 mm and the shell is rather depressed. The apex
Apex (mollusc)
Apex is an anatomical term for the tip of the mollusc shell of a gastropod, scaphopod, or cephalopod mollusc.-Gastropods:The word "apex" is most often used to mean the tip of the spire of the shell of a gastropod...
of the shell has a small depression, a very elongated outline and is located at the anterior third of the shell. In some specimens the apex is nearly central, with a rounded shell.
The axial sculpture
Sculpture (mollusc)
The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...
shows very strong, close, rough ribs with smaller intervening riblets in the interstices. The shell of a young snail is extremely inequilateral and develops rapidly the characteristic ribs.
The shell has a white color with fine brown lines between the main ribs. These brown lines dot the otherwise uniform white margin. The principal ribs are sometimes rather sharp, palmating the margin. Occasionally they are small and crowded, becoming faint at the margin.
The interior of the shell is white with darker spots and bars. It shows a white callus, through which the darker spots appear. These take occasionally the form of irregular ghostly bars (which gave rise to its synonymous name Acmaea spectrum - spectrum = ghost).
The very strong ribs at the outside and the curiously marked interior, like the print of a hand, are prominent characteristics of this species.