Stenoplax heathiana
| Stenoplax heathiana | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Polyplacophora |
| Order: | Chitonida |
| Family: | Ischnochitonidae |
| Genus: | Stenoplax |
| Species: | S. heathiana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stenoplax heathiana Berry, 1946[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Stenoplax heathiana, commonly known as Heath's chiton, is a species of chiton found under rocks in the sandy middle and low intertidal, from Mendocino County, CA to Puerto Santo Tomás, Baja California.[2][3]
Description
Like other Stenoplax, Heath's chiton is a relatively narrow-bodied chiton, about two or three times as long as it is wide.[2] It can grow up to 7.6 cm in length.[3] It has a pale foot and a pale, cream-colored girdle.[2] The species is most readily identified by its wide 8th plate.
Life cycle
Like other mollusks, S. heathiana eggs hatch into planktonic larvae called trochophores. These will metamorphose directly into young adults without a veliger stage.[3] The chitons are mostly nocturnal. Their diet mainly consists of algae that accumulates in the rocks of their environment.[2]
Etymology
Heath's chiton was named for Harold Heath, an invertebrate biologist and professor of zoology at Stanford.[2]
References
- ^ Marshall, Bruce (2015). "Stenoplax heathiana S. S. Berry, 1946". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Cowles, Dave (2005). "Stenoplax heathiana Berry, 1946". Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Stenoplax heathiana Berry, 1946". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved December 9, 2025.