Chiton glaucus
Encyclopedia
Chiton glaucus, or the green chiton, is a species
of chiton
, a marine
polyplacophoran mollusk in the family Chitonidae
, the typical chitons. It is the most common chiton species in New Zealand
. The shell, consisting of eight valves
surrounded by a girdle
, is fairly large, up to 55 mm in length.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of chiton
Chiton
Chitons are small to large, primitive marine molluscs in the class Polyplacophora.There are 900 to 1,000 extant species of chitons in the class, which was formerly known as Amphineura....
, a marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
polyplacophoran mollusk in the family Chitonidae
Chitonidae
Chitonidae is a family of chitons or polyplacophorans, marine mollusks whose shell is composed of eight articulating plates or valves. There are fifteen extant genera in three subfamilies.-Subfamilies and genera:...
, the typical chitons. It is the most common chiton species in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The shell, consisting of eight valves
Valve (chiton)
Valve is an anatomical term applied to the shell of molluscs. Although in theory any mollusc shell can be termed a "valve", the word is now most commonly applied to members of two classes of molluscs: the Bivalvia and the Polyplacophora , in other words, to those molluscs whose shells are normally...
surrounded by a girdle
Valve (chiton)
Valve is an anatomical term applied to the shell of molluscs. Although in theory any mollusc shell can be termed a "valve", the word is now most commonly applied to members of two classes of molluscs: the Bivalvia and the Polyplacophora , in other words, to those molluscs whose shells are normally...
, is fairly large, up to 55 mm in length.