Spiny Slipper Shell (Crepidula aculeata) Resides Along Both Coasts

The Spiny Slipper Shell has the typical white platform on the underside. The platform, or shelf, has a sinuous edge and perhaps a ridge emanating from the area of the spiral apex. The exterior of the gastropod varies in color from pale gray to brownish, often with reddish-brown markings. The shiny interior may be a salmon brown color. The distinguishing feature of this type of Slipper Shell, which may attain a length of as much as one inch, is the curved spiny ridges radiating from the beak end of the shell.

The shell is relatively thin, not well inflated, with the spiral apex near the edge of the shell. The living gastropod resides in shallow water attached to solid objects such as rocks, mangrove roots, and other shells. The Crepidula aculeate may be found on both the East and West coasts, from North Carolina to Florida, Texas, and the West Indies; and from California to Chile.

Notes

The shell pictured here was found at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
For more information on the Spiny Slipper Shell see:
- R. Tucker Abbott, American Seashells.
- R. Tucker Abbott and Percy A. Morris, Peterson Field Guides: Shells of the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts & the West Indies.
- Carol M. Williams, Beach Bountiful: Southeast.
Classification: Family Crepidulidae; Superfamily Crepidulacea; Order Caenogastropoda; Subclass Prosobranchia; Class Gastropoda.
Scientific nomenclature is subject to change, due to ongoing research. The above classification corresponds to that published for the Gladys Archerd Shell Collection at the Washington State University Tri-Cities Natural History Museum.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.

Spiny Slipper Shell:Spot the Radiating Ridges

Notes

Spiny Slipper Shell:
Spot the Radiating Ridges