''Cymbula sanguinans'', the giant pinkray limpet, is a species of giant limpet, a marine mollusc in the family

Patellidae Patellidae is a taxonomic family of sea snails or true limpets, marine gastropod molluscs in the clade Patellogastropoda. (The superfamily Patelloidea should not be confused with the similar-sounding genus of true limpets ''Patelloida'' which ...

. It is native to the coast of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. At one time thought to be a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''

Cymbula miniata ''Cymbula miniata'' is a species of sea snail, a true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or o ...

'',

molecular analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

has shown ''C. sanguinans'' warrants being treated as a full species, despite there being no obvious morphological differences between the two. This makes difficult the task of deciding which of the previous research studies refer to ''C. sanguinans'', and which refer to ''C. miniata''.

Description

''Cymbula sanguinans'' is a very large limpet, with a shell length that can exceed , but most individuals are rather smaller than this. The shell is oval, with the highest point of the cone about one third of the distance from the anterior end. The external surface has fine sculpturing and is cream-coloured with radial bands and streaks in brown or pinkish-brown; the interior is a similar colour, with a whitish muscle scar.

Ecology

''Cymbula sanguinans'' 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

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

, being completely dependent on feeding on the thalloid

red alga Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...

, '' Hildenbrandia rubra''. It is a territorial species, tending a patch of algae and driving away other limpets.

Status

''Cymbula sanguinans'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the coasts of South Africa, where it has been found 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 ...

in the

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

area, and on the

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ban ...

coast. Giant limpets are frequently impacted by human activities, including pollution, loss of habitat, and being collected for food. They have been eaten since prehistoric times as is attested by the presence of the empty shells in

shell middens A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofac ...

. The largest individuals tend to be gathered preferentially, and because these limpets are protandric hermaphrodites, it is the females that are selectively removed. Few eggs mean little recruitment, and populations are dwindling, with several species of giant limpet being threatened with

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q61694363 Patellidae Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Endemic fauna of South Africa Molluscs described in 1854 Taxa named by Lovell Augustus Reeve