Cellana radians

Cellana radians from Whatipu, New Zealand. Photo: Graham Bould

Cellana radians
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Order: Patellogastropoda Suborder: Patellina Superfamily: Patelloidea Family: Patellidae Genus: Cellana Species: C. radians
Binomial name
Cellana radians (Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms
Patella radians Gmelin, 1791 Patella argentea Quoy and Gaimard, 1834 Patella earlii Reeve, 1855 Helcioniscus radians Suter, 1913

Cellana radians, or the golden limpet, is a species of true limpet, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Nacellidae, which is one of the true limpet families.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.

Habitat

This limpet is very common in the intertidal zone.

Shell description

The shell is very variable in height, position of the nucleus, and in coloration. Normally the sculpture consists of 20 to 25 smooth, rounded, low primary radial ribs, and one or more weaker radials in each interspace.

The coloration of the exterior of the shell is greenish-grey, with the primary ribs irregularly picked out in dark brown, and often, especially in young examples, there are lateral connecting maculations between the ribs. The interior is yellowish-buff or silvery-grey, with the dark rays showing through, and with a fairly well defined light brownish muscle attachment mark on the underside of the shell, often clouded with a white callus.

Cellana radians (underside) from Whatipu, New Zealand. Photo: Graham Bould

The maximum shell length is 54 mm, width 46 mm, and height 22 mm.

References

* Powell A. W. B., William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1