Hat Limpet Shell, Lottia mitella

Hat LimpetShell, Lottia mitella. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, July 2019. Size: 2.7 cm (1.1 inches) x 2.1 cm (0.8 inches).

The Hat Limpet, Lottia mitella (Menke, 1843), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Lottiidae Family of True Limpets. The shells have an oval moderately high profile with the apex set forward and the exterior is sculpted with strong radial ribs that extend past the margin in some shells. The exterior of the shell is black with white ribs; the interior is bluish or white with a central brown strain and a black and white margin. The Hat Limpet reach a maximum of 2.7 cm (1.1 inches) in length and 2.1 cm (0.8 inches) in height.

Hat Limpets are found attached to rocks in the intertidal zone to depths up to 18 m (60 feet). They range from the greater Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur to the central coastline of mainland Mexico and the Revillagigedo Islands and are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

A synonym is Collisella mitella.