Polyplacophora |
Chitonida |
Mopaliidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 5 m (Ref. 290). Subtropical
Eastern Pacific: Alaska, Canada and Mexico.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 8.9 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 296)
Girdle: Medium wide which is sandy and profusely covered with stiff bristles. Mucro: Highly posterior; depressed. Central areas: Longitudinally ribbed with sharp nodulose ribs transversed with subtle wide obsolete ribs forming a basket weave. Lateral areas: Heavily beaded rib. Inside area: Covered with oval shaped granulations. Color of the valves: Grays to black; rarely, a specimen with blue or orange valves may be found. Color of the girdle: Cream with brownish red bristles (Ref. 296).
Habitat: On rocks, especially in areas of low to moderate surf; found in estuaries (Ref. 315). Depth Range: 0 to 5 m (Ref. 290); middle to low intertidal zones from Alaska to Mexico (Ref. 312). Occurs at the mid tide mark.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Polyplacophora are mostly gonochoric. Life cycle: Eggs hatch into lecitotrophic planktonic trocophore larvae (no veliger stage) which later metamorphose and settle on the bottom as young adults.
Burghardt, G. and L. Burghardt 2006 West Coast Chitons. A Gallery of Worlwide Chitons: http://home.inreach.com/burghart/wcoast.html[accessed20/01/06] (Ref. 296)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 9.1 - 18, mean 10.7 (based on 193 cells).
Fishing Vulnerability
Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.
