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An Account of the Natural History of the Slipper-Limpet: (Crepidula fornicata),: With some remarks on its occurrence on the Oyster Grounds on the Essex Coast*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

J. H. Orton
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Extract

The American limpet, or slipper-limpet, known to naturalists as Crepidula fornicata, was introduced into England about 1880, being recorded at that time by Mr. B. S. Dodd in the Proceedings of the Malacological Society for 1893. Dodd, it is interesting to note, sounded even at that early time a warning note against the possible spread of this animal, and the probability of its becoming an enemy to the oyster farmer. There is no doubt that this limpet has been, and is probably still being introduced along with American oysters, on which it fixes itself. I have myself seen it unshipped along with oysters, but all the specimens I found had died recently. The spread of the limpet appears to have been very rapid on some grounds, as, for example, at West Mersea, where, since its appearance about eight years ago (from information obtained from local oyster fishermen), it has spread so that it is now more common than oysters.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , June 1912 , pp. 437 - 443
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1912

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References

page 437 note † These figures are incorporated in another and fuller account of the mode of feeding of Crepidula (see pp. 444–78 of this number) which was written subsequently to the printing of this Report.

page 438 note * Since this Report was written, Crepidula spawned in the tanks at Plymouth in early February.

page 439 note * These paragraphs were inadvertently omitted from the original Report.

page 439 note † The information given of the development of Crepidula has been drawn largely from Prof. Conklin's work on Crepidula (see Journal of Morphology, Vol. XIII, pp. 17, 18). By observations similar to his I judge also that the period of development from egg to spat is about six or seven weeks. More definite information, however, is to be desired on this point.Google Scholar