Tectura (Notoacmea) scutum(Rathke, 1833)
Pacific Plate Limpet
- Size: Notoacmea scutum ranges from 2.5-6
cm. long. Its height is usually less than one-third its width.
- Range: It can be found from Alaska to California
- Habitat: Notoacmea scutum resides on rocky
beaches, and is common on mid- and low intertidal and shallow subtidal
zones.
- Misidentification: It is often thought of as a
subspecies to Atlantic Plate Limpet, but is anatomically different which
indicates that it's a distinct species. It can also be mistaken Notoacmaea
persona, or mask limpet, but is flatter and with nearly center apex.
- Life History: Notoacmea scutum
are broadcast spawners, resulting in external fertilization by males releasing
sperm and females releasing eggs into the water. Spawning is most
abundant and generally occurs during April thru June. Larval types
are known as trochophores and feeding veligers.
- Natural History: By grazing
on algae and diatoms, Notoacmea scutum may shove aside and cause
early mortality of newly settled barnacles.
- Predators: Pisaster spp. is its most fierce
predator, but can be chemically detected from a distance by receptors along
the mantle edge.
- Links: Western
Fisheries
- Suggested Reading: Mash, Kaye.
(1975). How Invertebrates Live. Elsevier-Phaidon, New York, New
York.
This page prepared by Shannon Peterson, Spring 1999.