New Limpet Species Described in Japan’s Pacific Coast
This study provides a taxonomic assessment of Patelloida parva n. sp., a newly identified intertidal limpet species from Japan. Through an integrative approach combining detailed morphological and phylogenetic techniques, we establish the monophyletic status of Patelloida parva n. sp. and confirm its distinctiveness from closely related species such as P. lanx and members of the P. saccharina species complex. The species' limited distribution along the Pacific coasts of Wakayama and Kochi Prefectures, with potential extension to the Ryukyu Islands, aligns with oceanographic influences from the Kuroshio Current. Its closer genetic affinity to the tropical P. saccharinoides supports a tropical evolutionary origin. These findings contribute to refining the taxonomy of the genus Patelloida and advance our understanding of limpet diversity, biogeography, and evolutionary history in the northwestern Pacific.
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