''Cymbula granatina'', the granite 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 ...
of
sea snail, a
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 ...
, a marine
gastropod mollusc in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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 ...
, one of the families of true limpets.
Unlike some other species of giant limpet, ''C. granatina'' is non-territorial, and feeds on a variety of different algae.
Description
The size of the shell varies between 50 mm and 90 mm.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Atlantic Ocean off South Africa and Angola, being common on the upper shore in the cool temperate biogeographical region of
Benguela, from
Lüderitz
Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.
The town is known for its colonial architecture, includ ...
to the
Cape of Good Hope.
[
]
Ecology
''C. granatina'' is one of the commonest limpets on the foreshore. It is a herbivore and feeds on a variety of different algae and does not hold and defend a territory. It has a fairly high growth rate and a high gonadal output. The larvae are plankton
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...
ic and settle on the lower part of the shore. They move progressively higher up the shore after the age of about two years. Although adhering tightly to the rock when out of water, when the tide comes in and covers them, they move about, grazing on algae with their toothed radula.[ Limpets show great homing ability and tend to return to the same location when the tide goes out, often making a scar on the rock.]
References
* Koufopanou et al. (1999). ''A molecular phylogeny of the patellid limpets (Gastropoda: Patellidae) and its implications for the origins of their antitropical distribution'' Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 11(1): 138–156
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cymbula Granatina
Patellidae
Gastropods described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus