Acmaea mitra
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acmaea mitra, common name the whitecap limpet, is a species of sea snail or true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Acmaeidae, one of the families of true limpets.
| Acmaea mitra | |
|---|---|
| |
| A live individual of Acmaea mitra. The shell is covered in encrusting red coralline algae, which is why it appears to be pink | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Patellogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Lottioidea |
| Family: | Acmaeidae |
| Genus: | Acmaea |
| Species: | A. mitra |
| Binomial name | |
| Acmaea mitra Rathke, 1833 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Scurria mitra (Rathke, 1833) superseded combination | |
Taxonomy
Acmaea mitra was placed in the family Acmaeidae for many years, but based on molecular phylogeny evidence by Nakano & Ozawa (2007)[1] Acmaeidae was synonymized with Lottiidae. However, this synonymy was subsequently found incorrect, having been the result of contaminated samples, and Acmaea mitra and a related species, Niveotectura pallida form a well-supported clade outside of the Lottiidae, and Acmaeidae was re-established.[2]
Description
The length of the shell varies between 12 mm and 38 mm.
Distribution
This species occurs in the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Baja California, Mexico.
