Polyplacophora | 
Chitonida | 
Chitonidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; depth range 0 - 4 m (Ref. 2022).  Tropical			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Western Central Atlantic:  USA, Colombia, Bermuda, Mexico, Venezuela and the West Indies.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 7.6 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 281)			
			
			
							
				
				
					
						Valve color:  Dull grayish green or greenish brown;  Some valves, dark-brown arrow-shaped patch on the dorsal ridge.  Lateral areas:  Five irregular, radiating cords.  Central areas:  Smooth at the top and eight to nine strong, wavy, longitudinal ribs on the sides.  Girdle color:  Alternating zones of whitish, green or black.  Scales:  Appear to be slightly higher than broad (Ref. 281).					
				
				
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Epibiotic (Ref. 110502).  Very common under rocks, in the zone between tides (Ref. 292); intertidal to shallow subtidal (Ref. 289); intertidal and spray zones of rocky shores (Ref. 2022).				
			
			
			
			
			
				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 Selected Chitons of Caribbean Area and the East Coast of United States and Canada. A Gallery of Worlwide Chitons: http://home.inreach.com/burghart/eastcoas.html[accessed20/01/06] (Ref. 281)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						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 compositionFood consumptionPredators   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): 25.8 - 28.3, mean 27.5 (based on 436 cells).			
 
			
			
			
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low vulnerability (10 of 100).					
				
						
						
			
									
						Price category  					
					
					Unknown.