Mossy Chiton
The mossy chiton (Mopalia muscosa) is a small chiton of the Pacific coast of North America, whose girdle is covered with stiff, brown bristles that give it a mossy look. It grazes algae from intertidal rocks.
The mossy chiton (Mopalia muscosa) is a small chiton of the Pacific coast of North America, whose girdle is covered with stiff, brown bristles that give it a mossy look. It grazes algae from intertidal rocks.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Mossy Chiton in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Lophotrochozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Homing Instinct
Mossy chitons return to a "home scar" in the rock after feeding at night, a spot that fits their shell and reduces water loss. How they find it is not known, but they probably follow mucus trails or other cues.
Hairs and Camouflage
The bristles catch algae and debris, camouflaging the animal. The eight plates beneath are eroded by wave action and overgrown by algae.
Tough Tongue
Like other chitons it scrapes rock with a ribbon of teeth strengthened by magnetite. See Lined Chiton.
Mossy Chiton at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Mopalia muscosa |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Polyplacophora |
| Order | Chitonida |
| Family | Mopaliidae |
| Field Guide group | Lophotrochozoa: Mollusca (Mollusks) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Oval tide-pool grazer with eight overlapping armor plates surrounded by a girdle covered in stiff, moss-like bristles. |
| Class | Polyplacophora |
| Girdle | Bristly |