Horse Hoof Limpet

Hipponix australis

Hipponix australis - Horse Hoof Limpet
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Size: 3 cm

Distribution: All SA coastal and gulf waters

Habitat: Usually rocky environments, living on other gastropods

Depth: Lower intertidal and subtidal

Hipponix australis - Horse Hoof Limpet
Hipponix australis - Horse Hoof Limpet
Hipponix australis - Horse Hoof Limpet

This limpet-shaped snail is almost always found on the shells of other gastropods such as Haliotis and Lunella, and is thought to feed on suspended particles in the water or the fecal pellets of the host snail. The much smaller males are often found around (or on) the larger females. They are one of several species that lives on a host shell, and can be distinguished by their radial ribbing.