Butterfly Slit Limpets [Phenacolepas]

Description

Phenacolepas is a genus of small to medium-sized, marine gastropod mollusks. These sea snails are characterized by their distinctive, flattened, and often oval-shaped shells with a slit or hole near the apex. They are commonly found adhering to hard substrates in shallow, tropical to temperate waters. The shell's unique structure allows for the exchange of gases and expulsion of waste, adapting these snails to a sessile lifestyle on surfaces such as rocks, corals, and the shells of other mollusks. Their diet primarily consists of microalgae, which they graze on using a specialized radula.

Species

Silver butterfly slit limpet [Parmaphorella platalea]

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Brown butterfly slit limpet [Parmaphorella rustica]

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Giant butterfly slit limpet [Parmaphorella gigantea]

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Taxonomy