| Littorina sitkana | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Littorinimorpha |
| Superfamily: | Littorinoidea |
| Family: | Littorinidae |
| Genus: | Littorina |
| Species: | L. sitkana |
| Binomial name | |
| Littorina sitkana Philippi, 1846 |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Littorina sitkana is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Littorinidae, the winkles. It is commonly found in the high tidal zone and the splash zone.
The shell of this winkle has about ten coarse spiral ribs on the last whorl, and has fine spiral microstriae in the gaps between the ribs. Occasionally this ribbing may be missing or it may be ribbed only at the base. The species with which it is most likely to be confused is Littorina subrotundata and comparison of the capsule gland of the pallial oviduct is the best way to distinguish between them.[2]
The native range of L. sitkana is the coasts of Siberia, Japan and the Pacific coast of North America extending from Alaska to Oregon.[2]