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ACANTHOCHITONIDAE |
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Acanthochitona coxi (Pilsbry, 1894) Description: Animal ovate, narrowly elongate, girdle broad. Median valves with triangular, striated jugal area. Lateral and pleural areas not differentiated, densely packed with elongate pustules. Girdle with tufts of fine spicules, one beside each median valve and 4 in front of anterior valve with intervening girdle area densely covered with short, thick spines. Colour dark greenish, maculated with white or yellow. Size: Up to 34 mm in length. Distribution: NSW southwards to SA, including Tas. Habitat: Lives in sheltered harbours and bays, under or at the edge of stones in sandy or muddy situations (Iredale & Hull, 1927). Comparison: This is similar to A. granostriata but is larger (length up to 34 mm compared with 21 mm in A. granostriata), has coarser sculpture on the valves and larger spicules on the girdle. Synonymy: Ananthochites lachrymosus May & Torr, 1913 is based on one specimen from Tasmania with the pustules on the valves "confused and overlapping" and the girdle spicules "smaller and more delicate". Fig. 1: From Macpherson & Gabriel (1962) Fig. 18. Fig. 2: Balmoral, Middle Harbour, Sydney (C.367504). This specimen was collected in 1909, so the colour has probably faded. Fig. 3: Detail of shell valve and girdle (Same specimen as Fig. 2) |
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