About Melarhaphe neritoides (Linnaeus, 1758)
Melarhaphe neritoides (Linnaeus, 1758) is a tiny gastropod species. The adult shell of this small periwinkle measures between 4 mm and 9 mm. It has a high, pointed spire, a dark, oval aperture, and a clear purple-brown spiral band on the body whorl. This species breeds in late winter; its pelagic egg capsules release planktonic larvae. It lives in the upper levels of natural or artificial rocky shores, reaching up to the highest tide limit. In this habitat, it can be abundant and is often the only marine gastropod present. It feeds on detritus and black lichen of the genus Lichina. This species is distributed across European waters from Norway southwards. It occurs in the Atlantic Ocean along the Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Morocco, and Mauritania, and is also found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
