Notoacmea pileopsis

Notoacmea pileopsis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Patellogastropoda
Suborder:	Nacellina
Superfamily:	Lottioidea
Family:	Acmaeidae
Subfamily:	Acmaeinae
Genus:	Notoacmea
Species:	N. porosus
Binomial name
Notoacmea pileopsis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)
Synonyms
Patelloida pileopsis Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)

Notoacmea pileopsis, common name black edged limpet, is a species of sea snail or true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Acmaeidae.

Distribution

This limpet is endemic to New Zealand. There are three subspecies, each of which lives in a different area and has slightly different shell characteristics.

The three subspecies

• Notoacmea pileopsis pileopsis, found in the North Island and the South Island north of Banks Peninsula, near the high tide level. The shell is large, broadly ovate, with black margin, brown the muscle attachment mark on the underside of the shell, and a clear bluish-white area between. The shell length is up to 33 mm, width 28 mm, and height 12 mm.

• Notoacmea pileopsis cellanoides, found in the North Island and the South Island north of Banks Peninsula, from half-tide upwards in more exposed situations than Notoacmea pileopsis cellanoides. The shell is similar to Notoacmea pileopsis cellanoides but the internal bluish-white area is always clouded with brown. The shell length is up to 27 mm, width 23 mm, and height 8 mm.

• Notoacmea pileopsis sturnus, found in the South Island south of Banks Peninsula including New Zealand's southern islands, from half-tide upwards. The shell is narrowly elliptical, has the apex right at the anterior end. The exterior is smooth, and the internal dark border is narrow. The shell length is up to 29.5 mm, width 22.5 mm, and height 12 mm.

References

• Powell A. W. B., William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1