Diodora meta

, Diodora meta

Afghanistan, Alaska, Algeria, Andaman and Nicobar, Angola, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Arctic, Argentina, Ascension Island, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores Islands, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canary Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Cocos Islands, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Corsica Island, Crete Island, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, Galapagos Islands, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hawaii, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macedonia, Madagascar, Madeira Islands, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, North Korea, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Saint Martin, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sardinia Island, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Sicily Island, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uruguay, US Minor Islands, USA, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wales, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Amvrakikos Gulf, Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Aral Sea, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Barents Sea, Bay of Bengal, Bay of Biscay, Beaufort Sea, Bering Sea, Black Sea, Bohai Sea, Cantabrian Sea, Celtic Sea, Chukchi Sea, Coral Sea, Dead Sea, English Channel, German Bight, Great Barrier Reef, Greenland Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Fonseca, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Halmahera Sea, Iberian Sea, Indian Ocean, Java Sea, Korinthiakos Gulf, Labrador Sea, Levantine Sea, Lingayan Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, Moro Gulf, Okhotsk Sea, Pacific Ocean, Pagassitikos Gulf, Salish Sea, Saronikos Gulf, Scotia Sea, Sea of Azov, Sea of Marmara, Siberian Sea, South China Sea, Southern Ocean, Thermaikos Gulf

Diodora meta is a species of marine snail, a sea snail, a gastropod mollusk in the family Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets. This species is found in the intertidal zone and subtidal environments of the Pacific Ocean.

Description & Characteristics

Diodora meta exhibits a distinctive morphology characterized by its conical shell, which typically reaches a maximum size of 15 millimeters in length. The shell features a prominent apex, which is located towards the anterior end. The shell is typically a pale brown or gray color, with a smooth, glossy surface. The aperture of the shell, or opening, is oval-shaped and features a characteristic keyhole-shaped fissure located on the anterior margin. The aperture is the opening through which the snail extends its head and foot for feeding and locomotion.

Habitat and Occurrence

Diodora meta is primarily found in the intertidal zone and subtidal environments of the Pacific Ocean, where it is typically found attached to rocks, algae, and other hard substrates. Its distribution extends from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, south to California, and west to Japan. The species is commonly found in the neritic zone, which is the marine environment that extends from the shoreline to the edge of the continental shelf.

Taxonomy

Diodora meta belongs to the Class: Gastropoda, which comprises a vast group of mollusks, characterized by their single spiral shell. The species is further classified within the Order: Lepetellida, a group of limpets that exhibit a unique shell morphology and feeding adaptations. Finally, Diodora meta is part of the Family: Fissurellidae, the keyhole limpets, known for the distinctive fissure or keyhole-shaped opening on the anterior margin of their shells.

Feeding

Diodora meta is an herbivorous snail that feeds primarily on algae and other plant material. It uses its radula, a rasping tongue-like structure, to scrape algae off of rocks and other substrates. Like other keyhole limpets, Diodora meta exhibits a unique feeding strategy, using its keyhole-shaped fissure to siphon water for respiration and to expel waste.

Associated Species

Image References

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