Marsh Periwinkle

Littorina irrorata

The marsh periwinkle which is scientifically named Littorina irrorata found in salt marshes from Long Island, New York to the Gulf of Texas. The classification of the marsh periwinkle is domain, Eukaryote, kingdom Animalia, and its phylum is Mollusca. Its class is Gastropoda, its order is Neotaenioglossa, its family is Littorinidae, its genus is Littorina, and its species is Littorina irrorata. The marsh periwinkle has bilateral symmetry, it is heterotrophic, and is also endothermic. The marsh periwinkle has a thick small shell and its average length is about 25 millimeters. It has one functional adaptation which is its shell which protects it from predators. It also has 1 structural adaptation which is that it has mucus on it so it can stick to marsh grass easily to catch prey. Lastly, it has a behavioral adaptation which is it climbs the marsh grass when the water temperature rises doing that will help the marsh periwinkle obtain more oxygen and avoid predators. An interesting fact about the marsh periwinkle is that it is sense sensitive to toxic so it is used for toxicology studies. Predators of this organism include fish, crabs, and sea urchins. Prey of the marsh periwinkle include detritus and algae. I have had such a great time researching this organism.

I found this image at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/marsh_periwinkle