West Indian Fuzzy Chiton

This species of chiton grows to be about 7 cm (2.8 in) in length. The girdle is densely spiky and usually has a few black bands. The surface of the valves (or plates) in this species is almost always heavily eroded in adults, but when not eroded, the valve surface is granulated. The valves are thick and heavy. The morphology of the West Indian Fuzzy Chiton contains a fifth valve, split into two symmetrical half valves that are independent to each other and other valves. A griddle-like tissue splits the valves. This specific type of chiton displays hundreds of shell eyes (< 100 μm) embedded in their dorsal shell. These eyes provide special vision, containing a retina, layer of screening pigment and a lens.

This chiton occurs from southern Florida to Mexico, south to Panama, and in the West Indies. They orient themselves, maintaining a constant zonal level, according to the exposure to wave action along the coastal shore line. This organization is due to their foraging behavior, which is limited to the nocturnal low tides.

This species lives on rocks very high in the intertidal zone. It can tolerate a lot of sun. Feeding is primarily nocturnal as there are increased levels of Hsp70, heat shock proteins which protects the organisms from environmental stressors including high temperatures, in the foot muscle under natural night time conditions . During the day, levels decrease again as the stress level protein follows the daily air temperature curve. It feeds on several species of algae.