Littorina obtusata, common name the flat periwinkle, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles.[1]

Littorina obtusata
Littorina obtusata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Littorinidae
Genus: Littorina
Species:
L. obtusata
Binomial name
Littorina obtusata
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]

Litorina arctica Møller, 1842
Litorina ioides Menke, 1845
Litorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Litorina obtusata var. fasciata Menke, 1845
Litorina obtusata var. unicolor Menke, 1845
Litorina obtusata var. zonata Menke, 1845
Littorelaea pultneyii Leach in Gray, 1847
Littorina arctica (Møller, 1842)
Littorina arctica var. angulata M. Sars, 1851
Littorina arctica var. eliator M. Sars, 1851
Littorina groenlandica var. laevior Mørch, 1857
Littorina obtusata f. elatiorangulata Middendorff, 1849
Littorina obtusata f. globosa Middendorff, 1849
Littorina obtusata f. magnei Sacchi, 1961
Littorina obtusata f. torquata Sacchi, 1963
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. albescens Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1925
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. alternata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. fusca Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. inversicolor Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. olivacea Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. rhabdota Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata littoralis var. rubens Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata lutea Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata var. aestuarii Jeffreys, 1869
Littorina obtusata var. albida Schlesch, 1930
Littorina obtusata var. ambigua Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata var. aurantia Dautzenberg, 1893
Littorina obtusata var. balteata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata var. castanea Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata var. citrina Dautzenberg, 1893
Littorina obtusata var. lineolata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata var. orana Norman, 1888
Littorina obtusata var. ornata Jeffreys, 1865
Littorina obtusata var. pulchra Schlesch, 1930
Littorina obtusata var. tessellata Dautzenberg & P. Fisher, 1915
Littorina obtusata var. virescens Schlesch, 1930
Littorina palliata Say, 1821
Littorina palliata var. auricularia Schlesch, 1916
Littorina palliata var. carinata Schlesch, 1916
Littorina preconica S. Smith, 1860
Littorina tenebrosa f. elatiorcrassa Middendorff, 1849
Littorina tenebrosa var. obtusataea Middendorff, 1849
Nerita litoralis Turton, 1819
Turbo neritiformis Brown, 1827
Turbo obtusatus Linnaeus, 1758
Turbo palliatus Say, 1822
Turbo retusus Lamarck, 1822

Distribution

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This marine species occurs wherever brown seaweeds grow. It is widely distributed: the Baltic Sea, in European waters from Norway down to Southern Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean along the Gulf of Maine.

Description

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The maximum recorded shell length is 13.5 mm.[2]

 
L. obtusata: various shell colours

Habitat

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This species can be found in the littoral and sublittoral zone on rocky shores and piers, usually on brown algae of the genus Fucus. Minimum recorded depth is 0 m.[2] Maximum recorded depth is 110 m.[2] The habitat may define its color. On sheltered shores it has a lighter and uniform color (yellow, brown, orange or olive green). On exposed shores its color is darker and chequered.

References

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Notes
  1. ^ a b Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758). Gofas, S. (2010). Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140263 on 6 June 2010 .
  2. ^ a b c Welch J. J. (2010). "The "Island Rule" and Deep-Sea Gastropods: Re-Examining the Evidence". PLoS ONE 5(1): e8776. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008776.
Bibliography
  • Backeljau, T. (1986). Lijst van de recente mariene mollusken van België [List of the recent marine molluscs of Belgium]. Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen: Brussels, Belgium. 106 pp
  • Reid, D.G. (1989a) The comparative morphology, phylogeny and evolution of the gastropod family Littorinidae. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 324: 1–110
  • Reid D.G. (1996). Systematics and evolution of Littorina. The Ray Society 463p
  • BODC (2009). Species list from the British Oceanographic Data Centre
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