Crepidula depressa
Depressed Slippersnail
A flattened snail that stacks in groups on shells or rocks, filtering tiny food particles from the water.
- Common Name
- Depressed Slippersnail
- Scientific Name
- Crepidula depressa
- Realm
- Saltwater
- Biome
- Seagrass Meadow
- Introduction Method
- Introduced on submerged seagrass blades and empty shells as part of the initial marine community seeding.
- Current Estimated Population
- Multiple individuals and generations observed; exact abundance is unconfirmed.
- Population Status
- Established
- Carrying Capacity Status
- Under Evaluation
- Date Last Observed
- June 10, 2026
Section Notes
Depressed Slippersnails were observed reproducing in the Seagrass Meadow, with babies visible on 2025-04-08, multiple individuals noted on 2025-04-09, population proliferation noted by 2025-07-20, and a new adolescent generation visible on 2026-04-27. Treat the population as established, while keeping exact abundance, carrying capacity, calcium-cycling impact, and competition outcomes unconfirmed.
- Trophic Level
- Primary Consumer
- Feeding Niche / Method
- Filter feeder
- Dietary Inputs
- Phytoplankton, suspended microbes, and fine organic particles
- Known Predators
- Common Atlantic Marginella (Prunum apicinum) - observed historically consuming juvenile slippersnails in the Seagrass Meadow.
Section Notes
Trophic classification is Primary Consumer. Food-web role: Filter-feeding plankton consumer. Feeding method: Filter feeder. Dietary inputs: Phytoplankton, suspended microbes, and fine organic particles
- Temperature Range
- Warm-temperate to Subtropical (typically 65°F to 85°F / 18°C to 30°C)
- pH Range
- Standard Marine (typically pH 7.8 to 8.4)
- Lighting Requirements
- Low to Moderate (adaptable to shaded benthic zones and under-leaf surfaces)
- Flow / Aeration Preference
- Moderate water flow (requires movement of water for efficient filter feeding)
Section Notes
Adapted to estuarine and shallow coastal environments. Highly sensitive to ocean acidification/lower pH levels, which can severely stunt shell development, growth, and larval metamorphosis. Can tolerate low-oxygen fluctuations of shallow bays but prefers clean, well-circulated marine water.
- Expected Lifespan
- 2–5 years
- Reproductive Strategy
- Protandrous hermaphroditism (individuals hatch as males, transitioning to females as they grow) with planktotrophic development (veliger larvae)
- System Reproduction Status
- Confirmed breeding; baby slippersnails and a later adolescent generation were observed in the Seagrass Meadow.
- Growth Rate
- Moderate to Fast (larvae metamorphose within 3-4 weeks; juveniles grow rapidly on rich diatom biofilm)
Section Notes
As protandrous hermaphrodites, they begin life as mobile males and develop into larger, sedentary females. Spawning occurs in capsules containing over 100 eggs. Larvae develop as planktonic veligers, drifting for 3–4 weeks before settling and metamorphosing into crawl-away juveniles.
- Ecological Role
- Water-column filtration
- Symbiotic Relationships
- Often grows in stacks on one another or on the shells of living or dead horseshoe crabs, oysters, and other gastropods, providing micro-habitats and calcareous substrates for other benthic organisms.
- Microhabitat Preference
- Attaches to hard substrates, seagrass blades, oyster shells, and vertical surfaces like glass in high-flow zones.
Section Notes
Acts as a benthic calcifier, contributing to the carbonate balance and substrate structure of the Seagrass Meadow. By filtering suspended organic material and phytoplankton, they help control water turbidity, while their stacks create structural complexity for micro-invertebrates.
Biomes This Species Lives In
Follow this species across the habitats where it currently appears in the miniBIOTA biosphere.
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