How does it look like?
Chiton, up to 3 cm long. The shell consists of 8 rough dorsal plates with well-defined granules; relatively broad fleshy rim; 18 groups of bristles arranged around the edge of the shell plates, with short spines arranged randomly. 10 to 15 pairs of gills. The colour ranges from beige, pink and brown; there is an area of white on the plates.
Where does it live?
They live firmly attached between rocks in the infralittoral and sublittoral fringe, in areas beaten by the sea. They tend to look for shady places, as they do not tolerate dehydration.
How does it feed?
They feed through the radula, which has a system of teeth that allows them to chew unicellular algae that precipitate calcium carbonate, such as diatoms.
How do they reproduce?
The male gametes are released into the external environment, and by aquatic currents reach the female, where they enter through a pore. Fertilisation takes place in the female and a trochophore larva is formed, which is released into the external environment and lives pelagic until it falls to the substrate, where it metamorphoses and gives rise to the adult.
Is a confusion possible?
Yes, they can be confused with Acanthochitona fascicularis due to its spines. But this one is larger, up to 6 centimetres, narrower and thinner. The granules on the plate are finer.
Curiosities
· They adhere to the rock by contraction of the foot.
Taxonomy
Phylum: Mollusca, Class: Polyplacophora, Order: Neoloricata, Family: Acanthochitonidae, Genus: Acanthochitona