Mopalia hindsii

Hind's Mopalia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Polyplacophora
Family:	Mopaliidae
Genus:	Mopalia
Species:	M. hindsii
Binomial name
Mopalia hindsii Sowerby in Reeve, 1847

Mopalia hindsii is a species of medium sized chiton that grows up to 7 cm long. Most commonly found in intertidal zones, M. hindsii enjoys protected areas and has a white ventral side unlike most intertidal chitons that are orange underneath.

Range

M. hindsii have been observed from South California all the way North to Alaska.

Habitat

M. hindsii are most common in protected environments like shallow bays, underneath rocks and on shaded pilings.

Diet

While most chitons are herbivores, M. hindsii will graze on just about anything in its path that doesn’t escape including polychaetes, amphipods, barnacles, sponges and algae. This uncommon lifestyle most likely explains why M. hindsii are able to survive in areas too silty for other chitons

Keying out Mopalia hindsii

Key from Kozloff's Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest

p. 185-191: 1b. 2b. 3b. 4b. 6b. 11a. 12b. 23b. 24b. 26b. 27b. 29a. 30b. 31b.

Plates

• Not covered by girdle
• Plate 8 not twice as long as 1
• Lateral areas of plates 2-7 have uniform sized tubercules
• Tubercules on plates 2-7 arranged in longitudinal rows near the center separated by a line of tubercules from the oblique rows of tubercules on lateral areas

Girdle

• Grey on dorsal surface, white on ventral surface
• Does not cover more than 2/3 of each plate
• Dorsal surface of girdle has hairs not granules or scales
• Girdle a uniform thickness, not thicker at anterior end
• Anterior end of girdle has a pronounced cleft

Hairs

• Flexible and thin, not longer than girdle is thick
• If branched, only from proximal portions of largest hairs

References

• Kozloff, Eugene N. Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1996.
• Lamb, Andy, and Hanby, Bernard P. Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2005.
• Kozloff, Eugene N. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1973.