True Limpets Shells of the Lottidae Family

Five True Limpet Shells of the Lottiidae Family can be found in this website:

Phylogeny: True Limpet Shells of the Lottiidae Family are gastropod mollusks in the subclass Patellogastropoda. Shells in this subclass are plate-like gastropods. They are not assigned to an order, but skip straight to the superfamily Lottioidea. The Lottiidae Family is one of seven families within this superfamily. The Lottiidae Family is comprised of two subfamilies, two tribes,  fifteen genera, and one hundred sixty-five species. Shells in this family are also commonly called Lottiids. When researching this family it can be confusing if using older resources because this family was previously known as Acmaeidae and is sometimes misspelled as Lottidae.

Description: True Limpet Shells have a flattened cone-shaped profile and an ovate outline. They do not have holes or slits along their margin or at their apex. The apex is central or somewhat anterior. These shells may be sculpted with weak to strong radial ribs. The ribs may project beyond the margin. The muscles scar inside a True Limpet Shell is horseshoe shaped, with the opening toward the anterior. The interior of these is porcelaneous, but not iridescent. They lack an internal septum and an operculum. True Limpet Shells are small to large in size, with the larger species reach 10 cm (3.9 inches) in length.

Habitat and Distribution: True Limpets are found in marine environments attached to hard surfaces or vegetation. They range from exposed habitats to calm protected waters. They live from the high intertidal zone to depths of around 30 m (100 feet). In some areas of rocky exposed coastline they are the most common mollusks. They are found globally in temperate to tropical waters. Twenty-six species from the Lottiidae Family are found in Mexican waters.

Natural History: True Limpets have a head and a foot, but lack eyes and rely on chemoreceptors to navigate their surroundings. They have a muscular foot and streamlined shape that enables them to live in surf and surge.  Limpets are mobile but often return to the same home base. Most species are herbivores, consuming red, brown, or green algae, sea grasses, or algal film, which they scrape from the rock with their radula. Some species farm their own algae patch, protecting it from competing organisms. True Limpets are preyed upon by shorebirds, crabs, fish and sea stars. They are simultaneous hermaphrodites that reproduce through broadcast spawning with external fertilization. True Limpets are edible and larger species are harvested by artisan and commercial fisheries.