Recruitment and phoresy of the endangered limpet Patella ferruginea in Ceuta (Strait of Gibraltar).

This article focuses on the recruitment patterns and early life stages of *Patella ferruginea*, a critically endangered marine limpet endemic to the western Mediterranean, particularly within artificial habitats in the ports of Ceuta and Melilla, Spain. Through three experiments conducted mainly in Ceuta's harbour, the study found that recruitment density is higher in the lower midlittoral zone, with juveniles migrating upward as they grow, while substrate slope and location showed no significant effect on recruitment or the phoresy phenomenon (juveniles settling on adult shells). The research highlights the potential of *P. ferruginea* recruitment data as a bioindicator of harbour ecological health and emphasizes the importance of long-term monitoring and targeted conservation measures in urban coastal environments to support sustainable management of this threatened species.