Plaxiphora obtecta is a large chiton in the family Mopaliidae,[2] 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[3] and was likely a food source.
| Plaxiphora obtecta | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Polyplacophora |
| Order: | Chitonida |
| Family: | Mopaliidae |
| Genus: | Plaxiphora |
| Species: | P. obtecta
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| Binomial name | |
| Plaxiphora obtecta Carpenter in Pilsbry, 1893[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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Guildingia obtecta Iredale & Hull 1932; Morton & Miller 1968, 1973; Walsby & Morton 1982 | |
Description and habitat
editUp to 90 millimetres (3.5 in) long and 65 millimetres (2.6 in) wide, making it one of the largest chitons found in New Zealand. It has a broad dark brown girdle dotted with small short bristles, and reduced dark green valves, sometimes with a paler stripe down the centre. It is frequent around the holdfasts of algae and in rock crevices around the low intertidal zone, usually on exposed coasts.[4]
References
edit- ^ Cook, Steve De C. (2010). New Zealand Coastal Marine Invertebrates. Vol. 1. Canterbury University Press, NZ. ISBN 978-1877257-60-5.
- ^ Marshall, Bruce (2022). "Plaxiphora obtecta Carpenter, 1893". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species.
- ^ "Chiton, Giant". Marine Life Database. University of Otago.
- ^ Morton, J.; Miller, M. (1968). The New Zealand Sea Shore. Auckland NZ: Collins.