The marine snail Littorina mariae Sacchi & Rastelli occurs in high numbers in the littoral zone on fucoid macroâalgae. Species Description. Color: Shell is dark in color, usually brown, black, or gray. Meet the eroded periwinkle. Seasonal appearance: All year. Species of Littorina that lack larvae occupy a wide variety of habitats (e.g. The shell is comprised of 6 whorls, with the body whorl about half of the total height of the snail. Littorina saxatilis is continuously, or almost continuously, distributed around the shores of each island. Enlarge image. Description. Identifying Characteristics Try to find just a couple more facts on color differences such as between young and old. APOLINÁRIO, M., 1 COUTINHO, R. 2 and BAETA-NEVES, M. H. 2 1 Museu Nacional, Departamento de Invertebrados, Carcinologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil . Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea)Alternate common names: Periwinkle, Winkle. This herbivorous snail lives in the eastern coast of North America from New Jersey to Newfoundland ( Trussell 1997 ). Littorina obtusata, the smooth or flat periwinkle, received its name for the texture of its shell and the flattened shape of its spire. PERIWINKLE (GASTROPODA: LITTORINIDAE) HABITAT SELECTION AND ITS IMPACT UPON MICROALGAL POPULATIONS . People that work at local fisheries are without jobs because of the dangerous fish disease that Littorina littorea is spreading to the native fish. The mangrove periwinkle, Littorina angulifera, is a common intertidal snail in mangrove forests of the southeast United States.The shell color of L. angulifera varies from bluish white, orange to dull yellow, reddish brown to grayish brown (Andrews 1994). A dirty gray, eroded shell camouflages this periwinkle on rock faces in the high intertidal and splash zones. Littorina littorea is used to control growth of Enteromorpha spp. The status of the four currently recognised species in the Littorina saxatilis species-complex, i.e. Littorina planaxis. Habitat: Intertidal zones, rocky shores, tide pools, pilings, and rock jetties. exposed rocks, boulders, barnacle zones), but each habitat has its own ecotype of snail (reviewed by Reid, 1996). ( Fish and Fish 1989 ). Body essentially as in Littorina obtusata, but differs in the penis (long tapering tip), arrangement of penial glands (single row of 5 -16 glands) and lack of pigmentation in ovipositor (L. fabalis-penis). Size: 1 inch long and 3/4 inch wide. No shells or preserved specimens survive as types from Linnaeusâ work, and Reid (1996) established a lectotype from one of Linnaeusâ drawings along with a diagnosis of the species. HABITAT SELECTION AND MIGRATORY BEHAVIOUR OF THE INTERTIDAL GASTROPOD LITTORINA LITTOREA (L.) BY ROBERT P. GENDRON* Boston University Marine Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., U.S.A. INTRODUCTION One of the most distinctive characteristics of rocky shores is the zonation of plants and animals (Stephenson & Stephenson 1972). Only salt spray and splashes from high waves reach here, forming pools that dry in the sun. Not on view at the Aquarium. Habitat and distribution: Tends to live lower on the shore than Littorina obtusata, otherwise habitat and distribution similar (Distr. 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