slipper shell

slipper shell

 (genus Crepidula), any marine snail belonging to the family Calyptraeidae (subclass Prosobranchia, class Gastropoda), in which the humped or flattened shell has a decklike half partition inside. Slipper shells occur worldwide in shallow waters. Adults are fixed to rocks or live within the empty shells of other mollusks. The common Atlantic slipper shell (C. fornicata), often called slipper limpet, is about 4 cm (1.5 inches) long and yellowish; it is abundant from Nova Scotia to Texas. In addition, C. fornicata has been introduced to the west coast of the United States, the coastal waters of Asia, and the coastal waters of England, France, and other European countries. In these locations, slipper shells have become a nuisance in oyster beds.

      Slipper shell snails begin as males but later transform to females, so each individual is a sequential hermaphrodite. Eggs are fertilized internally. Females release thousands of microscopic swimming larvae (veligers), which disperse and later metamorphose on the ocean floor.

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  • Slipper shell — Slipper Slip per, n. 1. One who, or that which, slips. [1913 Webster] 2. A kind of light shoe, which may be slipped on with ease, and worn in undress; a slipshoe. [1913 Webster] 3. A kind of apron or pinafore for children. [1913 Webster] 4. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • slipper shell — noun see slipper limpet …   Useful english dictionary

  • Common slipper shell — A live but washed up stack of Crepidula fornicata with a small chiton on the left; the lowest individual (on the right of this stack) would have been fixed to a hard surface. Scientific classification …   Wikipedia

  • Slipper — Slip per, n. 1. One who, or that which, slips. [1913 Webster] 2. A kind of light shoe, which may be slipped on with ease, and worn in undress; a slipshoe. [1913 Webster] 3. A kind of apron or pinafore for children. [1913 Webster] 4. A kind of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slipper animalcule — Slipper Slip per, n. 1. One who, or that which, slips. [1913 Webster] 2. A kind of light shoe, which may be slipped on with ease, and worn in undress; a slipshoe. [1913 Webster] 3. A kind of apron or pinafore for children. [1913 Webster] 4. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slipper flower — Slipper Slip per, n. 1. One who, or that which, slips. [1913 Webster] 2. A kind of light shoe, which may be slipped on with ease, and worn in undress; a slipshoe. [1913 Webster] 3. A kind of apron or pinafore for children. [1913 Webster] 4. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slipper limpet — Slipper Slip per, n. 1. One who, or that which, slips. [1913 Webster] 2. A kind of light shoe, which may be slipped on with ease, and worn in undress; a slipshoe. [1913 Webster] 3. A kind of apron or pinafore for children. [1913 Webster] 4. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • slipper limpet — noun or slipper shell Etymology: slipper (II) : a mollusk of Crepidula or a related genus that is sometimes a serious pest of oyster beds * * * slipper limpet noun An American mollusc (genus Crepidula) with a somewhat slipperlike shell • • • …   Useful english dictionary

  • Venus's slipper — Venus Ve nus, n. [L. Venus, eris, the goddess of love, the planet Venus.] 1. (Class. Myth.) The goddess of beauty and love, that is, beauty or love deified. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anat.) One of the planets, the second in order from the sun, its orbit …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Venus's shell — Venus Ve nus, n. [L. Venus, eris, the goddess of love, the planet Venus.] 1. (Class. Myth.) The goddess of beauty and love, that is, beauty or love deified. [1913 Webster] 2. (Anat.) One of the planets, the second in order from the sun, its orbit …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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