Canadian Register of Marine Species - Littorina littorea (Linnaeus, 1758)

CaRMS taxon details

Littorina littorea (Linnaeus, 1758)

AphiaID

140262 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:140262)

Classification

Status

accepted

Rank

Species

Parent

Littorina A. Férussac, 1822

Original name

Turbo littoreus Linnaeus, 1758

Environment

marine, ~~brackish~~, ~~fresh~~, ~~terrestrial~~

Fossil range

recent + fossil

Original description

(of ) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 761 [details] Available for editors

Descriptive notes

Distribution Rare or absent in Isles of Scilly and Channel Isles

Distribution Rare or absent in Isles of Scilly and Channel Isles [details]

Distribution Labrador to Maryland; Western Europe

Distribution Labrador to Maryland; Western Europe [details]

Taxonomic citation

MolluscaBase eds. (2025). MolluscaBase. Littorina littorea (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: Nozères, C., Kennedy, M.K. (Eds.) (2025) Canadian Register of Marine Species at: https://marinespecies.org/carms/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140262 on 2026-06-23

Regional species database citation

Nozères, C., Kennedy, M.K. (Eds.) (2026). Canadian Register of Marine Species. Littorina littorea (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed at: https://marinespecies.org/carms/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140262 on 2026-06-23

Taxonomic edit history

Date

action

2004-12-21 15:54:05Z

created

Gofas, Serge

2010-01-07 10:29:10Z

changed

Reid, David G.

2022-09-11 08:02:20Z

changed

Vinarski, Maxim

[taxonomic tree] [clear cache]

original description (of ) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 761 [details] Available for editors

context source (Introduced species) Molnar, J.L., R.L. Gamboa, C. Revenga & M.D. Spalding. (2008). Assessing the global threat of invasive species to marine biodiversity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 6(9): 485-492., available online at https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/Marine/Pages/marineinvasives.aspx [details] Available for editors

context source (RAS) Australian Antarctic Data Centre. , available online at https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/biodiversity/ [details]

context source (Schelde) van Eck, G. Th. M.; Holzhauer, H. (2007). Monitoring van de effecten van de verruiming 48'/43': MOVE eindrapport 2006 (Rapport 10). Rapport RIKZ = Report RIKZ, 2007.003. RIKZ: Middelburg. 64 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]

basis of record Reid, D. G. (1996). Systematics and evolution of Littorina. The Ray Society. 463p. [details]

additional source Reid, D. G. (1989). The comparative morphology, phylogeny and evolution of the gastropod family Littorinidae. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 324: 1-110., available online at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.1989.0040 [details] Available for editors

additional source Latchford, F. R. (1915). Littorina littorea a fish. The Nautilus. 29(8): 96., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1815895 [details]

additional source Clench, W. J. (1930). Littorina littorea Linn. The Nautilus. 43(3): 105., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8515159 [details]

additional source Alexander, R. C. (1947). Littorina littorea on the New Jersey coast. The Nautilus. 60(3): 73-76., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8523756 [details]

additional source Alexander, R. C. (1947). Littorina littorea in New Jersey. The Nautilus. 61(2): 71., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8284771 [details]

additional source Dexter, R. W. (1961). Early records of Littorina littorea from the coast of Massachusetts. The Nautilus. 74(3): 120-121., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8524001 [details]

additional source Clarke, A. H., Jr. (1963). Supplementary notes on Pre-Colombian Littorina littorea in Nova Scotia. The Nautilus. 77(1): 8-11., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8520305 [details]

additional source Davis, D. S. (1972). An unusual form of Littorina littorea Linné found in Nova Scotia. The Nautilus. 86(2-4): 87., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8511600 [details]

additional source Woodbridge, R. G., III. (1976). Tentacle-branching in the periwinkle, Littorina littorea. The Nautilus. 90(1): 52-54, figs. 1-10., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8276410 [details]

additional source Dudley, R. (1980). Crab-crushing of periwinkle shells, Littorina littorea, from two adjacent geographical provinces. The Nautilus. 94(3): 108-112., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8274614 [details]

biology source Tepolt, C. K. (2014). Adaptation in marine invasion: a genetic perspective. Biological Invasions. 17(3): 887-903., available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0825-8
note: Here, I review evidence for adaptation in marine invasion, considering both quantitative and genetic studies. [details] Available for editors

Present

Inaccurate

Introduced: alien

Containing type locality

From regional or thematic species database

Introduced species impact in California (State) : Other impact - undefined or uncertain [details]

Introduced species impact in United States (Nation) : Alters bio-geochemical/hydrologic cycles [details]

Introduced species impact in United States (Nation) : Consumes native species (predator or herbivore) [details]

Introduced species impact in The Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia (IHO Sea Area) : Alters bio-geochemical/hydrologic cycles [details]

Introduced species impact in The Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia (IHO Sea Area) : Consumes native species (predator or herbivore) [details]

Introduced species vector dispersal United States part of the North Pacific Ocean (Marine Region) Aquaculture: accidental [details]

Unreviewed

Dimensions maximum size of 20 to 25 mm in length [details]

Distribution Rare or absent in Isles of Scilly and Channel Isles [details]

Distribution Labrador to Maryland; Western Europe [details]

Habitat intertidal, bathyal, infralittoral and circalittoral of the Gulf and estuary [details]

Importance favorite food in Europe [details]

Definitions

Language	Name
Catalan	caragolí comú	[details]
Danish	store strandsneglalmindelige strandsnegl	[details]
Dutch	gewone alikruikalikruik	[details]
English	periwinkleedible winklecommon winklecommon periwinkle	[details]
Finnish	rantakotilo	[details]
French	vignotlittorine commune d'Europelittorine communcaracolebigorneau communbigorneau	[details]
German	Hölkergemeine Uferschneckegemeine Strandschnecke	[details]
Italian	littorina comune	[details]
Norwegian Bokmål	storstrandsnegl	[details]
Norwegian Nynorsk	storstrandsnigel	[details]
Portuguese	caramujo	[details]
Scottish Gaelic	faocha	[details]
Spanish	caracolillobígaro	[details]
Swedish	vanlig strandsnäcka	[details]