Tonicella lineata
Encyclopedia
Tonicella lineata, commonly known as the lined chiton, is a species of chiton
.
. The background color of the valves is often brown or red, but can also be bright blue or yellow to orange. The girdle is hairless and brown to red or pink, often with regular yellow or white patches. This species grows to 5 cm in length.
is extremely similar but has radiating bands on the girdle. Tonicella undocaerulea
is very similar but lacks a dark border to the concentric blue lines on the anterior plate. Mopalia spectabilis
looks superficially similar due to its bright blue wavy lines on the valves, but has a hairy girdle.
It can also be confused with Tonicella insignis (Reeve
, 1847) which retains the zig-zag pattern in concentric rings on the first and eighth valves and also the lines are most often white.
of T. lineata stretches from the Aluetian Islands of Alaska
to San Miguel Island
of California
, as well as the Sea of Okhotsk
of Russia
and northern Japan
. This species has also been found in Puget Sound
, Washington on floats. It has been recorded from intertidal and subtidal waters to a depth of 30 m to 90 m (100 - 300 feet).
; presumably this is what their coloration is intended to camouflage against. If knocked from its substrate, T. lineata will contract into a ball in order to protect its vulnerable ventral side, similar to many isopods. Coralline algae are also the major food item of T. lineata. On the Oregon
coast this species can be found living under purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
). This species is predated on by the sea stars Pisaster ochraceus and Leptasterias haxactis. Animals out of water only have about 73% the respiration of submerged animals, and likely incur an oxygen debt while out of water that must be repaid once resubmerged. When submerged, gas exchange occurs by water flowing from the anterior portion of the chiton into the mantle cavity where the ctenidia (gills) reside in the pallial grooves. This also takes care of waste produced as the water passes over the anus after the ctenidia and carries away feces
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....
.
Size and description
T. lineata is a very colorful chiton, having blue, purple or black straight or zig-zag lines on each of the eight valvesValve (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...
. The background color of the valves is often brown or red, but can also be bright blue or yellow to orange. The girdle is hairless and brown to red or pink, often with regular yellow or white patches. This species grows to 5 cm in length.
Similar species
Tonicella lokiiTonicella lokii
Tonicella lokii, commonly known as the flame lined chiton or Loki's chiton, is a chiton in the lined chiton genus Tonicella.-Size and description:...
is extremely similar but has radiating bands on the girdle. Tonicella undocaerulea
Tonicella undocaerulea
Tonicella undocaerulea, commonly known as the Blue Lined Chiton, is a species of chiton.-Size and description:The Blue Lined Chiton has a head plate with zigzag white concentric lines without a dark border. It commonly has bright electric blue stripes and flecks when alive...
is very similar but lacks a dark border to the concentric blue lines on the anterior plate. Mopalia spectabilis
Mopalia spectabilis
Mopalia spectabilis, commonly known as the Red-flecked Mopalia, is a species of chiton.-Size and description:M. spectabilis is a chiton that has a central area of plates 2-7 pitted in longitudinal rows. The girdle commonly banded light orange and brown. This species nearly always exhibits bright...
looks superficially similar due to its bright blue wavy lines on the valves, but has a hairy girdle.
It can also be confused with Tonicella insignis (Reeve
Lovell Augustus Reeve
Lovell Augustus Reeve was an English conchologist.Lovell Augustus Reeve was initially apprenticed to a grocer of Ludgate Hill between 1827 and '34...
, 1847) which retains the zig-zag pattern in concentric rings on the first and eighth valves and also the lines are most often white.
Distribution and habitat
The natural rangeRange (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
of T. lineata stretches from the Aluetian Islands of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands, located across the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean, within Santa Barbara County, California. San Miguel is the sixth-largest of the eight Channel Islands at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, as well as the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and northern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. This species has also been found in Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, Washington on floats. It has been recorded from intertidal and subtidal waters to a depth of 30 m to 90 m (100 - 300 feet).
Biology
T. lineata often occurs on rocks that are encrusted by coralline algaeAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
; presumably this is what their coloration is intended to camouflage against. If knocked from its substrate, T. lineata will contract into a ball in order to protect its vulnerable ventral side, similar to many isopods. Coralline algae are also the major food item of T. lineata. On the Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
coast this species can be found living under purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, lives along the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean extending from Ensenada, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. This sea urchin species is deep purple in color and lives in lower intertidal and nearshore subtidal communities...
). This species is predated on by the sea stars Pisaster ochraceus and Leptasterias haxactis. Animals out of water only have about 73% the respiration of submerged animals, and likely incur an oxygen debt while out of water that must be repaid once resubmerged. When submerged, gas exchange occurs by water flowing from the anterior portion of the chiton into the mantle cavity where the ctenidia (gills) reside in the pallial grooves. This also takes care of waste produced as the water passes over the anus after the ctenidia and carries away feces