Plaxiphora biramosa | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Polyplacophora |
Order: | Chitonida |
Family: | Mopaliidae |
Genus: | Plaxiphora |
Species: | P. biramosa |
Binomial name | |
Plaxiphora biramosa (Quoy & Gaimard, 1835) [1] | |
Synonyms | |
Chiton biramosusQuoy & Gaimard, 1835 |
Plaxiphora biramosa is an uncommon chiton in the family Mopaliidae, [2] endemic to New Zealand.
A medium-sized chiton, oval and very flat, with head and tail valves much reduced in size. Wavy grooves run lengthwise along the central areas of the valves, which can be cream through yellow to light olive-green. These are often coated in pink coralline algae and other small growths, much like the rocks the animal lives around, giving it a cryptic disguise. The girdle is wide, usually a reddish brown, and distinguished by many fine bristles along the margin and larger tufts of bristles at the sutures. Usual length is from 45-62mm, making it one of the larger chitons found in New Zealand. Although an extremely slow moving species, P. biramosa exhibits homing behaviour after moving around at night. Habits crevices in smooth rocks on wave-exposed coasts around New Zealand, although not known from the warmer north-eastern areas of the North Island. [3]
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Dosinia anus, commonly named the ringed dosinia, coarse dosinia, coarse biscuit shell and tuangi-haruru, in the Māori language, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae, the venus clams. The species is common to both of the main islands of New Zealand, where it is the largest and heaviest species in the genus, occasionally exceeding 80 mm in diameter. It buries itself in clean fine sandy substrata, sub-tidally down to 15 m deep.
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Plaxiphora obtecta is a large chiton in the family Mopaliidae, endemic to New Zealand, where it is most often found on the West Coast of the North Island. It is called Haka-hiwihiwi by some Māori and was likely a food source.
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