Hi all limpet lovers,
This is a very technical question (why and how limpets are more conical at
the higher-energy swash zone than lower on the beach).  I couldn't even begin
to say how but I have heard that it is advantageous to limpets to be more
conical where they are more exposed to protect them from temperature
extremes.  The idea is that the water in the apex of the shell provides a
measure of protection against overheating, and against cooling to a lesser
degree.
I just got back from a week on the west coast (a near first for me) and saw
many, many limpets.  I collected some and and still having fun identifying
them.  I can attest to the stats discovered by our student as the limpets
(still haven't figured out which type) I saw in one bay on rocks right at
high tide were very highly conical, as high as a Whitecap Limpet (Acmaea
mitra).
A good work on natural history of mollusks is "Living Marine Molluscs", by
C.M. Yonge and T.E. Thompson, published in 1976 by Collins, London. This book
has good info on limpets and may also have some more detailed listings in the
bibliography.


Lynn Scheu wrote:

> I have a request for information here below. Can anyone help Anthony?
> Please send your answers to Conch-L or to me personally at
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Thanks for any help,
>
> Lynn Scheu
> Louisville, KY
> [log in to unmask]
>
> > Hi there!
> >          I'm a third year undergraduate here in the UK, my name's
> > Anthony Jones, i'm an environmental science student.  Recently my class
> > took a field trip to a rockyshore habitat, there we examined the shapes
> > of limpets within the intertidal zone, since then several statistical
> > methods have been employed to determine if the shape of the shell
> > varies within the intertidal zone, the results, as previously thougth,
> > confirm that indeed they do.  Limpets being more conical at the high
> > energy swash zone, and more flatter, with a rounder apex and the sub
> > inter tidal zone, this was the reverse of what the students expected,
> > our lecturer however said this was correct, he then set an assignment
> > for us to found out why and how this change is induced, we know it's
> > not genetic, that the change is environmentally induced, but more
> > information is needed, i suspect it have something to do with the
> > attachment mechanism employed by the limpet to attach itself to the
> > substrate, but have failed to come up with any information pertaining
> > to the explanation.  Okay any information or pointers to where i'd be
> > able to find out about this would be much appreciated.
> >
> > Yours
> >
> > Anthony Jones