Dan Schofield, UK
Info
Chiton squamosus Linnaeus, 1764
Chiton snails are not as closely related to snails as one might first think. The more than 900 species of the so-called Polyplacophora are mollusks characterized by their eight calcareous plates (fossil finds sometimes have more).
They usually live near the shore under rocks, where they forage for algae and detritus. On their shell they have aragonite crystals, with which they can perceive light differences and sometimes even see.Typical for mollusks: also the beetle snails feedwith the help of their rasping tongue (radula).
By far the majority of beetle snails are algae-eating herbivores that graze on rocks and boulders, but also on shells in the surf zone. However, there are also predatory species.
The keeping itself is quite uncomplicated. Beetle snails are often brought into the tank with live rock, where they prove to be very effective microalgae and detritus exterminators.
Synonymised names
Chiton (Chiton) squamosus Linnaeus, 1764 · unaccepted
Chiton bipunctatus Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 · unaccepted
Chiton chemnitzii L. Pfeiffer, 1840 · unaccepted
Chiton crassus Clessin, 1903 · unaccepted
Chiton fasciatus W. Wood, 1815 · unaccepted
Chiton indus Gmelin, 1791 · unaccepted (possible synonym)
Chiton marmoreus Reeve, 1847 · unaccepted
Chiton multimaculatus Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Chiton pictus Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Chiton spengleri Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Chiton squamosum Linnaeus, 1764 · unaccepted > incorrect grammatical agreement of specific epithet
Chiton striatus Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 · unaccepted
Chiton tigris L. Spengler, 1797 · unaccepted
Chiton undulatus Olfers, 1818 · unaccepted
Chiton variegatus Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Direct children (1)
Variety Chiton squamosus var. similis Petit de la Saussaye, 1856 accepted as Chiton tuberculatus Linnaeus, 1758
Chiton snails are not as closely related to snails as one might first think. The more than 900 species of the so-called Polyplacophora are mollusks characterized by their eight calcareous plates (fossil finds sometimes have more).
They usually live near the shore under rocks, where they forage for algae and detritus. On their shell they have aragonite crystals, with which they can perceive light differences and sometimes even see.Typical for mollusks: also the beetle snails feedwith the help of their rasping tongue (radula).
By far the majority of beetle snails are algae-eating herbivores that graze on rocks and boulders, but also on shells in the surf zone. However, there are also predatory species.
The keeping itself is quite uncomplicated. Beetle snails are often brought into the tank with live rock, where they prove to be very effective microalgae and detritus exterminators.
Synonymised names
Chiton (Chiton) squamosus Linnaeus, 1764 · unaccepted
Chiton bipunctatus Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 · unaccepted
Chiton chemnitzii L. Pfeiffer, 1840 · unaccepted
Chiton crassus Clessin, 1903 · unaccepted
Chiton fasciatus W. Wood, 1815 · unaccepted
Chiton indus Gmelin, 1791 · unaccepted (possible synonym)
Chiton marmoreus Reeve, 1847 · unaccepted
Chiton multimaculatus Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Chiton pictus Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Chiton spengleri Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Chiton squamosum Linnaeus, 1764 · unaccepted > incorrect grammatical agreement of specific epithet
Chiton striatus Fischer von Waldheim, 1807 · unaccepted
Chiton tigris L. Spengler, 1797 · unaccepted
Chiton undulatus Olfers, 1818 · unaccepted
Chiton variegatus Blainville, 1825 · unaccepted
Direct children (1)
Variety Chiton squamosus var. similis Petit de la Saussaye, 1856 accepted as Chiton tuberculatus Linnaeus, 1758
