Leptochiton inquinatus
Description 3
Small, 12 to 14mm long, 6 to 7mm wide. Plates pale yellow to orangey-brown, and a reddy-brown mark at the crest. Both end plates covered with fine beaded radial ridges. Other plates with the same ridges both radially from the crest to the edge and from front to back and similar but smaller cross tracks as well. These plates are all approximately the same width and rectangular, the overall effect is of a straight sided, oblong chiton, with rounded ends. The girdle is made up of round white scales.
Distribution 3
Found in the intertidal zone on the underside of boulders and stones where there is a sandy or silty base. North Island (abundant north of the Bay of Plenty).
Synonyms 3
Chiton inquinatus (Reeve, 1847) (original combination)
Lepidopleurus iredalei (Ashby, 1921)
Terenochiton inquinatus (Reeve, 1847)
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=385804
References 3
New Zealand Mollusca, Marine Land and Freshwater Shells, A W B Powell, 1979
NZ Coastal Marine Invertebrates Vol 1 by Steve de C. Cook, p300
Sources and Credits
- (c) Tony Wills, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Wills
- (c) tangatawhenua, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by tangatawhenua
- (c) Tony Wills, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
iNat Map
| Places | North Island, South Island |
|---|---|
| Depth | intertidal, offshore |
