Chitons, Amphineura and Polyplacophora
PHOTO
Ischnochiton australis, various sizes, under rock, Long Reef, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 21 December 1995. Photo: Bill Rudman
Chitons are a small class of marine molluscs, characterised by their possession of 8 dorsal shell plates usually held in place by a leathery girdle. They are bilaterally symmetrical and are usually found on hard intertidal or shallow water surfaces. In some groups however, the shell plates become reduced in size, and are often embedded in the girdle which becomes more fleshy and in some cases brightly coloured. Chitons are grazing herbivores, found in all parts of the world. They range in size from the huge Californian Cryptochiton stelleri, which grows to 300mm in length, to some that never grow more than a few millimeters in length.
I have included a page on chitons in the Forum,, because as the message below, illustrates, some chitons do look surprisingly slug-like.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2002 (November 24) Chitons, Amphineura and Polyplacophora. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/chitons
Related messages
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Strange thing in my tank
From: Brandon Buys, March 3, 2010 -
A slug-like chiton
From: John Markby, November 13, 2009 -
Dorid-like chiton from Moss Beach, California
From: John Albers-Mead, December 18, 2006 -
Some type of sea slug?
From: Chris Fourness, July 8, 2006 -
Re: Sluglike shelled creature from South Africa
From: Dawn Ahomed, March 15, 2006 -
Sluglike shelled creature from South Africa
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Unidentified Canadian Sea Slug?
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Slug? on live rock
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Re: Chiton or slug?
From: Frans Slieker, January 29, 2003 -
Alien in my tank
From: Anders Olausson, January 15, 2003 -
Chiton or slug?
From: Dee Ryden, November 27, 2002 -
Re: A Californian mystery
From: Rebecca Johnson, December 11, 1998 -
Re: A Californian mystery
From: Peter Firminger, December 11, 1998 -
A Californian mystery
From: JM, December 1, 1998