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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: common periwinkle
Taxonomy: available through 
Size: shell height can reach up to 55 mm
Native Range:
Coast of northern Spain to Scandinavia and Russia.
Nonindigenous Occurrences: First found in North America in1840 in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Chapman et al. 2007). In the U.S., it is found in coastal areas from Maine to Virginia and California to Washington.
Ecology: Found from coastal intertidal, rocky waters to estuarine brackish water and mud flats; depth to 60 m.
Means of Introduction: May have been introduced with rock ballast in the mid-1800s (Chapman et al. 2007).
Status: A predominant mollusk from New Jersey northward.
Impact of Introduction: Has had large negative impacts on invaded ecosystems; competes with native gastropods.
Remarks: Lives 5-10 years; females lay 10,000-100,000 eggs contained in a horny capsule from which larvae escape and settle to the bottom; can breed all year depending on the climate; mature at 10 mm; primarily an algae grazer, but will feed on small invertebrates such as barnacle larvae. This species is harvested for human consumption in Europe.
References
Chapman, J. W., J. T. Carlton, M. R. Bellinger, and A. M. H. Blakeslee. 2007. Premature refutation of a human-mediated marine species introduction: the case history of the marine snail Littorina littorea in the northwestern Atlantic. Biological Invasions 9:737-750.
Jackson, A., 2002. Littorina littorea. Common periwinkle. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/06/03]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Litlit.htm>
Other Resources:
Littorina littorea (Global Invasive Species Database)
Author: Amy Benson
Revision Date: 8/20/2007 Citation for this information:
Amy Benson. 2009. Littorina littorea. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1009> Revision Date: 8/20/2007
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