Littorina
Encyclopedia
Littorina is a genus
of small sea snail
s, marine
gastropod mollusc
s in the family
Littorinidae
, the winkles or periwinkles.
These small snails live in the tidal zone of rocky shores.
there are about nine species in this genus, one of which is the rough periwinkle, Littorina saxatilis
(Olivi, 1792). Another closely related (supposed) species Littorina tenebrosa (Montagu 1802) was thought to be distinct because of its different ecological requirements, but current studies have shown that it is not at all clear whether the two are indeed separate species or whether L. tenebrosa is perhaps merely an ecotype (an ecological form) of L. saxatilis.
Littorina has given its name to the Littorina Sea
, the geologic precursor of the Baltic Sea
.
they live within the influence of freshwater, and frequently become distorted in consequence.
. The aperture
is rounded. The outer lip is acute. The columella is rather flattened and imperforate. The operculum
is paucispiral. The lingual teeth are hooked and trilobed. The uncini (small teeth on the radula
) are hooked and dentated.
Species in the genus Littorina include
Species brought into synonymy:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of small sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
s, 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
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
s 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...
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.
These small snails live in the tidal zone of rocky shores.
Overview
In EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
there are about nine species in this genus, one of which is the rough periwinkle, Littorina saxatilis
Littorina saxatilis
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.-Distribution:...
(Olivi, 1792). Another closely related (supposed) species Littorina tenebrosa (Montagu 1802) was thought to be distinct because of its different ecological requirements, but current studies have shown that it is not at all clear whether the two are indeed separate species or whether L. tenebrosa is perhaps merely an ecotype (an ecological form) of L. saxatilis.
Littorina has given its name to the Littorina Sea
Littorina Sea
Littorina Sea is a geological brackish-water stage of the Baltic Sea, which existed around 7500–4000 BP and followed the Mastogloia Sea, transitional stage of the Ancylus Lake...
, the geologic precursor of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
Distribution
The periwinkles are found on the seashore in the littoral zone and sublittoral zone in all parts of the world. In the BalticBaltic
-Northern Europe:* The Baltic Sea* Baltic states : Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia* The Baltic region, an ambiguous term referring to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea...
they live within the influence of freshwater, and frequently become distorted in consequence.
Description
The thick, pointed shell is turbinated and has few whorlsWhorl (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...
. The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is rounded. The outer lip is acute. The columella is rather flattened and imperforate. The operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
is paucispiral. The lingual teeth are hooked and trilobed. The uncini (small teeth on the radula
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
) are hooked and dentated.
Species
The type species:Turbo littoreus Linnaeus, 1758 restricts the species in this genus to the northern hemisphere, moderate and cold zones. The tropical species belong in other genera of the same familySpecies in the genus Littorina include
- Littorina aleuticaLittorina aleuticaLittorina aleutica is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Dall, 1872 - Littorina arcanaLittorina arcanaLittorina arcana is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Hannaford-Ellis, 1978 - Littorina breviculaLittorina breviculaLittorina brevicula is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Philippi, 1844) - Littorina compressaLittorina compressaLittorina compressa is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Jeffreys, 1865 - Littorina fabalisLittorina fabalisLittorina fabalis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Turton, 1825) - Littorina horikawaiLittorina horikawaiLittorina horikawai is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Matsubayashi & Habe in Habe, 1979 - Littorina islandicaLittorina islandicaLittorina islandica is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, 1996 † - Littorina kasatkaLittorina kasatkaLittorina kasatka is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, Zaslavskaya & Sergievsky, 1991 - Littorina keenaeLittorina keenaeLittorina keenae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Rosewater, 1978 - Littorina littorea (Linnaeus, 1758), common periwinkleCommon PeriwinkleThe common periwinkle or winkle, scientific name Littorina littorea, is a species of small edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk which has gills and an operculum, and is classified within the family Littorinidae, the periwinkles....
- Littorina mandshuricaLittorina mandshuricaLittorina mandshurica is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Schrenk, 1861) - Littorina naticaLittorina naticaLittorina natica is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Reid, 1996 - Littorina obtusataLittorina obtusataLittorina obtusata, common name the flat periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.-Distribution:This marine species occurs wherever brown seaweeds grow...
(Linnaeus, 1758), flat periwinkle - Littorina petricola Arnold, 1908 †
- Littorina plenaLittorina plenaLittorina plena is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Gould, 1849 - Littorina remondiiLittorina remondiiLittorina remondii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Gabb, 1866 † - Littorina saxatilisLittorina saxatilisLittorina 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.-Distribution:...
(Olivi, 1792), rough periwinkle - Littorina scutulataLittorina scutulataLittorina scutulata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Gould, 1849, checkered periwinkle - Littorina sitkana Philippi, 1846
- † Littorina sookensisLittorina sookensisLittorina sookensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Clark & Arnold, 1923 - Littorina squalidaLittorina squalidaLittorina squalida is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
Broderip & Sowerby, 1829 - Littorina subrotundataLittorina subrotundataLittorina subrotundata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Carpenter, 1864) - Littorina varia
- Littorina zebra
Species brought into synonymy:
- Littorina aestuarii Jeffreys, 1865 : synonym of Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Littorina affinis d'Orbigny, 1839 : synonym of Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Littorina angulifera is a synonym for Littoraria angulifera (Lamarck, 1822)
- Littorina arenica Jay, 1839 : synonym of Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Litorina arenica Dunker, 1845 : synonym of Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Littorina canariensis d'Orbigny, 1839 : synonym of Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Litorina globosa Dunker, 1845 : synonym of Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Littorina granularis Gray, 1839 : synonym of Echinolittorina miliarisEchinolittorina miliarisEchinolittorina miliaris is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) - Littorina marnat Potiez & Michaud, 1838 : synonym of Echinolittorina punctataEchinolittorina punctataEchinolittorina punctata is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Gmelin, 1791) - Littorina obesa (G.B. Sowerby, 1832) : synonym of Littoraria coccineaLittoraria coccineaLittoraria coccinea is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Gmelin, 1791) - Littorina petraeus (Montagu, 1803) : synonym of Melarhaphe neritoidesMelarhaphe neritoidesMelarhaphe neritoides, common name : the small periwinkle, is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles...
(Linnaeus, 1758) - Littorina planaxis G.B. Sowerby I, 1844 : synonym of Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Littorina saxatilis jugosa Montagu, 1803 : synonym of Littorina saxatilis (Olivi, 1792)
- Littorina saxatilis nigrolineata Gray, 1839 : synonym of Littorina saxatilis (Olivi, 1792)
- Littorina striata is a synonym for Tectarius striatusTectarius striatusTectarius striatus is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(King & Broderip, 1832) - Littorina undulata Gray, 1839 : synonym of Littoraria undulataLittoraria undulataLittoraria undulata, common name the robust shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles....
(Gray, 1839) - Littorina unifasciata antipodum : synonym of Austrolittorina antipodum (Philippi, 1847)
- Littorina ziczac is a synonym for Echinolittorina ziczac (Gmelin, 1791)
- Littorina zonaria Bean, 1844: synonym of Littorina saxatilis (Olivi, 1792)