# Tectura palacea

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Species of gastropod

Tectura palacea A live individual of Tectura palacea on a blade of Phyllospadix surfgrass. Anterior end of the limpet to the left Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Patellogastropoda Family: Lottiidae Genus: Tectura Species: T. palacea Binomial name Tectura palacea (Gould, 1853)

***Tectura palacea***, [common names](/source/Common_name) the **surfgrass limpet** or **chaffy limpet**, also spelled **chaffey limpet**, is a [species](/source/Species) of small [sea snail](/source/Sea_snail), a true [limpet](/source/Limpet), a [marine](/source/Marine_(ocean)) [gastropod](/source/Gastropod) [mollusc](/source/Mollusc) in the family [Lottiidae](/source/Lottiidae).

The shell of this small limpet is about 6–10 mm in length and 2–3 mm in width. The shell dimensions are narrow to correspond with the limpet's habitat: the narrow blades of surfgrasses in the genus *[Phyllospadix](/source/Phyllospadix)*, found at low tide levels. This species occurs in the Eastern [Pacific Ocean](/source/Pacific_Ocean), on the coast of [North America](/source/North_America), from [Vancouver Island](/source/Vancouver_Island), [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia) to northern [Baja California](/source/Baja_California), [Mexico](/source/Mexico).[1]

The habitat of *Tectura palacea* is the blades of surfgrasses in the genus *[Phyllospadix](/source/Phyllospadix)*

## Feeding habits

These small limpets graze on the film of microscopic algae that covers the leaf blades of the marine plant *Phyllospadix*. As can be seen in the accompanying photos, the limpet scrapes off this algal film, leaving a clear trail on the surface of the blade behind it.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** McLean J. H. (1978) *Marine Shells of Southern California*. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Museum, Science Series 24, Revised Edition: 1-104.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Tectura palacea](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Tectura_palacea).

- [Basic info](https://web.archive.org/web/20110608014457/http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/nmr/detail.php?taal=uk&volledige_naam=Tectura+palacea&type=s&start=0&display=25&sort=sa&start=0&display=25&nr=2)

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