Cenchritis muricatus | |
---|---|
Five views of a shell of Cenchritis muricatus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
(unranked): | |
Superfamily: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | C. muricatus
|
Binomial name | |
Cenchritis muricatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
| |
Synonyms[1] | |
|
Cenchritis muricatus is a species of sea snail in the family Littorinidae, the winkles or periwinkles. It occurs in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Lesser Antilles.[1] It is known commonly as the beaded periwinkle.[2]
This snail often crawls out of the water and climbs vertical rocky cliffs to heights of over 14 meters, where it avoids desiccation and overheating by hiding in moist crevices.[3]