Chiton olivaceus
| Chiton olivaceus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dorsal view of Chiton olivaceus from Sicily. Museum specimen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Polyplacophora |
| Order: | Chitonida |
| Family: | Chitonidae |
| Genus: | Chiton |
| Species: | C. olivaceus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chiton olivaceus Spengler, 1797 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Chiton olivaceus, the green chiton, is a species of chiton, a marine polyplacophoran mollusk in the family Chitonidae, the typical chitons.[1][2]
Description
Chiton olivaceus can reach a length of 32–40 millimetres (1.3–1.6 in) and a width of about 16 millimetres (0.63 in). These large chitons have carinate plates with strongs ribs. The shell is oblong and oval. In the front and rear plates ribs have a radial pattern. The intermediate valves show a sharp beak and rounded sutural plates. Colors are very variable, ranging from olive-gray (hence the common name) to yellow-brown, sometimes black, orange, red or yellow. The girdle surrounding all of the valves is quite large and covered by bristles and scales. [3][4][5]
The teeth of these grazers of algae [6] are composed of magnetite, the hardest material usable by a living being.
Distribution
This species is common in the Mediterranean sea ( Italy and Greece), but can also to be found in the nearby Atlantic Ocean.[7]
Habitat
Chiton olivaceus occur on a solid substrate, particularly stones and rocks, in the zones of sweeping of the waves, at a low depth.[3]
References
- ↑ URMO: UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms. Land J. van der (ed)
- ↑ WoRMS
- 1 2 Mondo Marino
- ↑ Area Marina di Portofino
- ↑ Wildlife Archipelago
- ↑ D. I. MacKinnon,Daphne E. Lee,J. D. Campbell Brachiopods Through Time
- ↑ SeaLifeBase