Calliostoma ligatum surrounded by Epiactis or brooding anemone.
Size: To 1″(25mm)diameter
Upper left is Caliostoma ligatum photo by Ryan Murphy
Range: Northern B.C. South to California. This species is very common subtidally and intertidally at Race Rocks. It is common in rocky areas and kelp beds to 100′(30m) and deeper, among algae and under rocks.
At RaceRocks it is frequently used as a dwelling by small hermit crabs.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Prosobranchia
Order Archaeogastropoda
Family Calliostomatidae
Genus Calliostoma
Species ligatum
Common Name: Blue top snail
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- In this image, the topsnail is grazing on bryozoans that grow on the kelp blades.
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- The divers turned over a painted star and found a topsnail being eaten.
Food: Omnivorous feeding on hydroids, bryozoans, detritus and diatoms.This common and abundant species also eats compound tuncates and sponges
Comments:. It exhibits an escape response to the ochre sea star Pisaster ochraceus .
Other Members of the Phylum Mollusca at Race Rocks.
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomyand Image File |
 The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. |
Dec. 2002 Carmen Zana (PC yr29)