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Crepidula adunca (Hooked slipper snail)
Copyright © 2008
Mary Jo Adams
This species is most often found adhering to snail shells, primarily those of blue topsnails (Caliostoma ligatum) and black turban snails (Tegula funebralis) but also on brown turban snails (Tegula brunnea) and dire whelks (Lirabuccinum dirum). The snail shell hosts may have been vacated by the snail and converted to quarters for a hermit crab.
The hooked slipper snail is brown in color with an apex that overhangs the posterior of the shell. It reaches a maximum length of 1 inch (2.5 cm). All hooked slipper snails begin life as males and later become females. Smaller males may stack themselves on top of females. They are filter feeders that use mucus to trap food particles. This species ranges from the low intertidal zone to a depth of 60 feet (19 m.).
This
page was created by Mary Jo Adams on 11/5/08.
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