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Dieren en planten

Molluscs   Marine snails   Common periwinkle   Rough periwinkle   Freshwater snails   Nudibranch   Periwinkles   Large sea snails   

Rough periwinkle

size:

up to 22 millimeter

color:

variable, but usually dark

food:

seaweed, particularly channeled wrack

enemies:

crabs

reproduction:

sexually

  • Dut: Ruwe alikruik
  • Lat: Littorina saxatilis
  • Eng: Rough periwinkle
  • Ger: Raue Strandschnecke
  • Dan: Ungefødende strandsnegl
print print
Rough periwinkle, foto fitis, sytske dijksen

Rough periwinkle

There are various subspecies of rough periwinkles which are difficult to distinguish from one another. The 'authentic' rough periwinkle is very common along the North Sea coasts. Their shells have obvious grooves and ribs. Sometimes, the grooves are darker than the rest, appearing as stripes. The shape and color are not always the same: some are truncated while others are peaked, grey or colorful. Because rough periwinkels can vary so much from one another in appearnce, some scientists want to categorize them in separate species.

  • Verspreiding en habitat

    Periwinkels live on rocks, seaweeds and dikes. The rough periwinkle is found higher up in the tidal zone than the common periwinkle, up to and including the splash zone. They are commonly found along the North Sea coast.