More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Molluscs of Zihuatanejo
PHYLUM MOLLUSCA
Echinolittorina Perwinkle
Echinolittorina
-Gastropods (Class Gastropoda)
-Caenogastropods (Subclass Caenogastropoda)
-Order Littorinimorpha
-Periwinkle Snails and Allies (Superfamily Littorinoidea)
-Periwinkle Snails (Family Littorinidae)
-Subfamily Littorininae
-Genus Echinolittorina
At low tide, Periwinkles are usually wedged into crevices and cracks in rocks and even inside the empty shells of dead oysters and barnacles. Small but resilient snails, periwinkles can breathe air so they are among the most common snails seen on the rocks above the high tide line. Periwinkles graze on tiny algae growing as a film over the rocks. Once a year, males find a female for mating. Females lay their eggs in a mucus bundle in tide pools. The larvae hatch and are washed out to sea to grow.
Description
Echinolittorina is a genus of small marine periwinkle snails in the family Littorinidae. Their shells are typically small, thick, and conical to ovate, with several rounded whorls and a relatively simple aperture. Shell colour varies among species and populations, commonly including grey, brown, tan, cream, and mottled or banded patterns. These snails are highly adapted to life in the splash and upper intertidal zones.
Range
Echinolittorina is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical coastal regions, particularly around the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Several species occur along the eastern Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, including Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.
Habitat
These periwinkles are characteristic inhabitants of rocky intertidal shores, especially the upper shore and splash zone where they are exposed to air for long periods. They shelter in rock cracks and depressions during hot or dry conditions and become active when surfaces are dampened by spray, rain, or incoming tides.
Diet
Echinolittorina species are primarily herbivorous grazers. They use their radula to scrape microscopic algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria, and organic films from rock surfaces, helping to control the growth of algal films in the upper intertidal zone.