Kingdom Animalia Class Gastropoda Family Calyptraeidae Scientific name Crepidula plana | Phylum Mollusca Superfamily Calyptraeoidea Genus Crepidula Rank Species | |
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Similar Calyptraeidae, Crepidula, Bostrycapulus aculeatus, Crucibulum, Crepidula onyx | ||
Crepidula plana, common name the eastern white slippersnail, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails or slipper limpets, cup-and-saucer snails, and hat snails. This species is characterized by a flat white shell, a white body and development that includes a planktotrophic larval stage. This species often occurs inside large gastropod shells that are inhabited by hermit crabs. Due to this habit the shells are often very flat or even recurved.
Contents
Like all slipper snails Crepidula plana are filter feeders. The brood their offspring in clusters of transparent capsules between the substrate, the propodium and the neck.
Crepidula plana is native to the east coast of North America, where it ranges from Canada to North Carolina. It has also been reported as introduced into San Francisco Bay. Reports of this species in the Gulf of Mexico or south of the US are incorrect and result from taxonomic confusion with other flat what species of Crepidula (of which there are many).
Distribution
The distribution of Crepidula plana is often reported to range from 48°N to 38°S; 97.75°W to 34.9°W. Many of these locations are incorrect, and have not been updated based on recent taxonomic revisions in the group.
The distribution is often reported to include:
However, DNA sequence data, allozyme data and developmental data have provided evidence since the 1980s that the flat white Crepidula from Eastern North America is composed to at last 3 distinct species. C. plana actually ranges only from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick south to Georgia or northern Florida. Records of C. plana in Southern Florida and the Gulf of Mexico are almost certainly misidentified C. atrasolea or C. depressa. The identity of the flat white Crepidula that occur south of the Gulf of Mexico needs to be re-examined as they are certainly not C. plana.
Description
The shell is flat and white, the internal septum is flat and there are no muscle scars inside the shell. The length of the shell is 15 to 35 mm. The maximum recorded shell length is 43 mm.
C. plana produces planktotrophic larvae.
Habitat
Minimum recorded depth is 0 m. Maximum recorded depth is 110 m.