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Species
Invertebrates
Learn more about the invertebrates monitored by the LiMPETS program. The list below includes:
- 17 core taxa that are monitored at as many sites as possible
- 5 other taxa (denoted with *) that are monitored at only one or two sites
Go to Datasheets and Forms to find out which species are monitored at your LiMPETS site of interest.
- Abalone – Haliotis cracherodii
- Aggregating anemone – Anthopleura elegantissima
- Chitons – Mopalia spp./Nuttalina californica/Lepitochitona spp./others
- Common acorn barnacles – Balanus glandula/Chthamalus dalli/fissus
- Giant green anemone – Anthopleura xanthogrammica
- Hermit crabs – Pagurus spp.
- Honeycomb tube worm – Phragmatopoma californica
- Limpets – Lottia spp.
- Leaf barnacle – Pollicipes polymerus
- Ochre sea star – Pisaster ochraceus
- Owl limpet – Lottia gigantea
- Pink acorn barnacle – Tetraclita rubescens
- Purple sea urchin – Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
- Sea mussel – Mytilus californianus
- Sunburst anemone – Anthopleura sola
- Turban snails – Tegula brunnea/funebralis
- Whelks – Acanthinucella spp./Nucella spp.
- * Broken back shrimps – Heptacarpus spp.
- * Bat star – Patiria miniata
- * Brooding anemone – Epiactis prolifera
- * Six-armed star – Leptasterias hexactis
- * Yellow introduced sponge – Hymeniacidon spp.
- We also monitor:
- Bare rock
- Loose sand
- Tar (petroleum)
Black Abalone(Haliotis cracherodii)
- Description:
- The low, shield-like, smooth shell of this abalone is dark blue, dark green, or almost black in color. Shell can reach lengths of 20 cm or more and contains a line of holes used for ventilation. Tentacles are black.
- Distribution:
- Mendocino County, California to Baja California; rare north of San Francisco.
- Habitat:
- Common under rocks and in crevices, from the high intertidal to 6 meters depth. This species occurs higher in the intertidal than any other California abalone.
- Diet:
- Herbivore, eating diatoms films, coralline algae, and loose pieces of algae brought in by waves.
- Fun Fact:
- Natural predators of the abalone include octopuses, whelks, sea stars, fish, sea otters, and humans.
- Reason for Monitoring:
- Abalone populations once occurred at a density of 60 to 80 individuals per square meter and dominated the intertidal in southern California. This species has experienced population decline due to overfishing, poaching, and disease (i.e., withering syndrome) throughout its range and has gone locally extinct in most locations south of Point Conception.
- References:
- Morris, R.H., D.P. Abbott, and E.C. Haderlie. 1980. Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.
- National Geographic News
- NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources