Pointed Slipper Limpet Shell, Crepidula excavata

Pointed Slipper Limpet Shell, Crepidula excavata. Shell collected off the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Baja Calfornia Sur, July 2018. Size: 2.5 cm (1.0 inch) x 1.6 cm (0.6 inches).

The Pointed Slipper Limpet, Crepidula excavata (Broderip, 1834), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Calyptraeidae Family of Cup-and-Saucer and Slipper Limpets. They are known in Mexico as caliptreido babucha and pique del Pacifico. The shell with somewhat tear-drop profile. The apex can be large and curved like a parrot beak and the internal “shelf” is set well below the shell’s margin. They can vary in color being white with tinges of brown, pink and/or yellow. Some individuals have brown lines or spots. The Pointed Slipper Limpet Shells reach a maximum of 3.5 cm (1.4 inches) in length and 2.2 cm (0.9 inches) in height.

The Pointed Slipper Limpets are found in the intertidal zone to depths up to 8 m (25 feet) and often found attached to larger snail shells. They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez, and extend south to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands.

A synonym is Calyptrea excavata.