Species profile
Common Atlantic Slippersnail
Crepidula fornicata
At a glance
Common Atlantic Slippersnail (Crepidula fornicata) is a marine snails (periwinkle/cowrie) present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 10,426 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Massachusetts, Florida, and Nova Scotia the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Lives in stacked chains of up to 12 individuals cemented on top of one another.
- Born male, individuals at the bottom of aging stacks gradually transition to female.
- Introduced to Europe with American oyster shipments in the late 1800s and is now invasive there.
- Feeds entirely by filtering plankton and organic particles from the water.
- The curved shell resembles the outline of a slipper, giving it its common name.
Where Common Atlantic Slippersnail are seen
Background
The common slipper shell, Crepidula fornicata, has many other common names, including common Atlantic slippersnail, boat shell, quarterdeck shell, fornicating slipper snail, Atlantic Slipper Limpet and it is known in Britain as the "common slipper limpet". This is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails and cup and saucer…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Common Atlantic Slippersnail article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other marine snails (periwinkle/cowrie) on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.