Biodiversity & Conservation

Common periwinkle - Littorina littorea - General information

Littorina littorea

Image Steve Trewhella - The common / edible winkle Littorina littorea. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Littorina littorea recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Littorina littorea is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Angus Jackson Text page icon Refereed by: Dr David Reid

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Mollusca Snails, slugs, mussels, cockles, clams & squid
Class Gastropoda Snails, slugs & sea butterflies
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Found on all British coasts, though rare or absent in the Isles of Scilly and Channel Isles.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Littorina littorea is widely distributed on rocky coasts, in all except the most exposed areas, from the upper shore into the sublittoral. In sheltered conditions they can also be found in sandy or muddy habitats such as estuaries and mud-flats. The species is fairly tolerant of brackish water.
Text page icon Description This the largest British periwinkle, with the shell reaching a maximum height of 52 mm. The shell is sharply conical with a pointed apex and surface sculpturing. The spiral ridges which are marked in young animals tend to become obscured in older individuals, giving the shell a smooth appearance. The shell colour ranges from grey-black-brown-red but is generally black or dark grey-brown, often lighter towards the apex, and is usually patterned with spiral darker lines. The columella or central axis of the shell is typically white and the animal is recognizable in its juvenile stages by the transverse black barring of the tentacles which are rather flat and broad.

This review can be cited as follows:

Angus Jackson 2008. Littorina littorea. Common periwinkle. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 20/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3713>