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Family  Callochitonidae

Callochitonid chitons

 

 

 

The family Callochitonidae was previously treated as a subfamily in the large and diverse family Ischnochitonidae, but has recently been raised to family level. The family is distinguished by several shell structure features, particularly the presence of  aesthetes (minute light-sensitive organs) in the shell, and by the form of the spiculose girdle.

Family Referencec

  • Iredale, T. & Basset Hull, A.F. 1927 A Monograph of the Australian Loricates. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Sydney. 168 pp. (This is a consolidated and repaginated version of the same material that was published in sections in The Australian Zoologist over the years 1923-1927).

  • Kaas, P. & Van Belle, R. 1985. Callochiton crocinus (Reeve, 1847) P. 48 in Monograph of Living Chitons Volume 2 Suborder Ischnochitonina E.J. Brill/Dr. W. Backhuys, Leiden.

  • Gowlett-Holmes, K. 2001. Callochitoninae. Pp 54-56 in Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. (eds) Zoological catalogue of Australia. Vol. 17.2 Mollusca: Aplacophora, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Cephalopoda. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

  • Gowlett-Holmes, K. 1998. Callochitoninae. Pp. 181 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds) Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Vol. 5. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. Part B. viii 565-1234 pp.

Coverage

The only species that occurs in NSW is detailed here.

Identification Notes

See the introduction to Acanthochitonidae for shell terminology.

 


Copyright Des Beechey 2019