''Chiton magnificus'', the liquorice sea cradle, is a Southeast Pacific

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of edible

chiton Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora ( ), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as sea cradles or coat-of-mail shells or suck ...

, a marine polyplacophoran

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

in the family Chitonidae, the typical chitons.

Description

''Chiton magnificus'' is a very large chiton, with specimen confirmed at length of up to . It is shiny and very dark bluish-grey.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of ''Chiton magnificus'' ranges along the Pacific coast of South America from

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

in ChileCarolina J. Zagal and Consuelo Hermosilla C. (2007). ''Guía de Invertebrados marinos del sur de Chile''. Editorial Fantástico Sur, Punta Arenas, Chile to San Lorenzo Island in Peru. Although there are old claimed records of this species from the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

, these are now considered incorrect. This species is found in places with strong current along rocky coasts, including pools. It can be found at depths of , but in northern Chile it appears to be restricted to

subtidal The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminate ...

areas.

Human use

''Chiton magnificus'' is edible. Although relatively uncommon, it is one of the few commercially important chitons in its range, others being the even larger, up to , spiny '' Acanthopleura echinata'' and the smaller, up to , brownish '' Chiton granosus''.

References

External links

MNHN
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3075543 Chitonidae Edible molluscs Western South American coastal fauna Molluscs of South America Molluscs described in 1844