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Family  Loricidae

Loricid chitons

 
 

 

 The Loricidae is a small family that includes only the genera Lorica and Loricella. In recent Australian literature they have been treated in the family Schizochitonidae. Lorica contains only two species, in NSW being represented by Lorica volvox, which occurs in shallow water throughout southern Australia. In the genus Loricella there are 13 species, five of which are fossil and eight are recent. Among the recent species of Loricella only L. angasi lives in shallow water, with the remainder being known from 73-293 m. Recent species of Loricella occur from Australia and New Zealand to Taiwan and from Celebes to Tonga.

Family References

  • 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 had been published in sections in The Australian Zoologist over the years 1923-1927).
  • Kaas, P., Van Belle, R.A. & Strack, H.L. 2006. Family Schizochitonidae. Pp. 49-70 in Monograph of Living Chitons (Mollusca: Polyplacophora). Order Neoloricata : Lepidopleurina. Vol 6. E.J. Brill / Dr. W. Backhuys Leiden 463 pp.
  • Gowlett-Holmes, K. 1998. Family Schizochitonidae. Pp. 183-184 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.
  • Gowlett-Holmes, K. 2001. Family Schizochitonidae. Pp 82-84 in Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. (eds) Zoological catalogue of Australia. Vol. 17.2 Mollusca: Aplacophora, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Cephalopoda. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, Australia.

Coverage

The only two species of the family known from NSW are detailed here.

Identification Notes

The descriptive terminology for chitons is given in the introduction to the Acanthochitonidae.

 

Copyright Des Beechey 2019