Mopaliidae

Belongs within: Ischnochitonina.
Contains: Mopalia.

The Mopaliidae are a group of chitons found in the Pacific Ocean and polar regions characterised by a more or less bristly girdle (Smith 1960).

Characters (from Smith 1960): Small to large chitons with tegmentum divided into usual lateral and central areas, sculpture combining radial and longitudinal ribs or lirae that vary in strength from low to high relief. Insertion-plate slits in all valves generally corresponding in position with ends of external ribs, teeth not pectinated. Head valve normally with eight slits but may be smaller or larger by fusion or splitting of one or more teeth, whereas in some forms slits are abnormally multiplied; intermediate and tail valves with single slit on each side, although in one group lacking in tail valve; tail valve with posteromedian sinus; sutural laminae well developed to very large. Girdle more or less hairy or bristly, never with scales, bristles simple or dendritic, in some species growing out of sutural pores, each of which bears one or more hairy bristles.

<==Mopaliidae [Amiculidae, Katharinidae]
    |--Katharina Gray 1847S60 [=Catharina Dunker 1882S60, Katherina (l. c.)S60; KatharininaeBRW98]
    |    `--*K. tunicata (Wood 1815)O27 [=Chiton tunicatusO27; incl. Katherina douglasiaeC64]
    `--Mopaliinae [Plaxiphoridae]BRW98
         |--PlaciphorinaBRW98
         |--MopaliaS60
         |--Diaphoroplax Iredale 1914P61
         |    `--*D. biramosa (Quoy & Gaimard 1835)P61 [=Chiton biramosusP61, Plaxiphora (*Diaphoroplax) biramosaS60]
         |--Vaferichiton Iredale & Hull 1932P61
         |    `--*V. murdochi (Suter 1905) [=Plaxiphora murdochi]P61
         |--Guildingia Pilsbry 1893P61
         |    `--*G. obtecta (Pilsbry 1893) [=Plaxiphora obtecta]P61
         |--Amicula Gray 1847BRW98, S60 (see below for synonymy)
         |    |--*A. vestita (Broderip & Sowerby 1829) [=Chiton vestitus]S60
         |    |--A. amiculata Pallus 1786 [=Chlamydochiton amiculatus]O27
         |    `--A. pallasii (Middendorff 1846) [=Chiton pallasii]O27
         |--Maorichiton Iredale 1914P61
         |    |--*M. caelatus (Reeve 1847)P61 [=Chiton caelatusP61, Plaxiphora (*Maorichiton) caelataS60]
         |    |--M. lyallensis (Mestayer 1921) [=Plaxiphora (Maorichiton) lyallensis]F27
         |    |--M. metonomazus Iredale & Hull 1932P61
         |    `--M. schauinslandi (Thiele 1909)P61
         |--Placiphorella Carpenter in Dall 1879BRW98, SF77 (see below for synonymy)
         |    |--*P. velata Dall 1879S60
         |    |--P. atlanticaS60
         |    |--P. blainvillii (Broderip 1832) [=Chiton blainvillii]SF77
         |    |--P. borealis Pilsbry 1892O27
         |    |--P. japonicaBRW98
         |    |--P. pacifica Berry 1919O27
         |    |--P. rufa Berry 1917O27
         |    `--P. stimpsoni Gould 1859O27
         `--Plaxiphora Gray 1847P61 (see below for synonymy)
              |  i. s.: P. ovataF27
              |         P. petholataB97
              |         P. zigzacF27
              |--P. (Plaxiphora)S60
              |    |--P. (P.) aurata (Spalowsky 1795)S60 (see below for synonymy)
              |    |    |--P. a. aurataP61
              |    |    `--P. a. campbelli (Filhol 1880)P61
              |    |--P. (P.) albida [incl. P. paeteliana]BRW98
              |    |--P. (P.) australisBRW98
              |    |--P. (P. ) concentrica Ashby & Torr 1901BE93 [=P. (Poneroplax) concentricaS60]
              |    `--P. (P.) obscurellaBRW98
              |--P. (Aerilamma Hull 1924)S60
              |    `--P. (*A.) primordia (Hull 1924) [=*Aerilamma primordia]S60
              |--P. (Frembleya Adams 1866)BRW98, P61 (see below for synonymy)
              |    |--‘*Frembleya’ egregia Adams 1866P61 [=Fremblya egregiaS60]
              |    `--P. (F.) matthewsiBRW98
              |--P. (Mercatora Leloup 1942)S60
              |    `--P. (*M.) mercatoris Leloup 1936S60
              `--P. (Poneroplax Iredale 1914)S60
                   |--P. (*P.) costata (deBlainville 1825) [=Chiton costatus]S60
                   `--P. (P.) gellibrandiS60

Amicula Gray 1847^{BRW98, S60} [incl. Chlamydochiton Dall 1878^S60, Chlamydoconcha Pilsbry 1893 non Dall 1884^S60, Cryptochiton Gray 1847 non Middendorff 1847^S60, Stimpsoniella Carpenter 1873^S60, Symmetrogephyrus Middendorff 1847^S60]

Placiphorella Carpenter in Dall 1879^{BRW98, SF77} [=Placophorella Fischer 1885^S60; incl. Euplacophora Verrill & Smith 1882^S60, Langfordiella Dall 1925^S60, Placophora Dall 1889 nec Agardh 1863 (ICBN) nec Fischer 1885^S60, Placophoropsis Pilsbry 1893^S60]

Plaxiphora Gray 1847^P61 [=Placiphora (l. c.)^S60, Placophora Fischer 1885 non Agardh 1863 (ICBN)^S60, Plaxifora (l. c.)^S60; incl. Euplacifora Johnston 1891^S60, Euplaciphora Dall 1879^S60, Euplacophora Fischer 1885 non Verrill & Smith 1882^S60, Euplaxiphora Shuttleworth 1853^S60]

Plaxiphora (Frembleya Adams 1866)^{BRW98, P61} [=Frembleyana Ashby 1919^S60, Fremblya Dall 1882^S60, Fremblyia (l. c.)^S60; incl. Kopionella Ashby 1919^S60, Steptochiton Carpenter in Dall 1879 (n. n.)^S60]

Plaxiphora (Plaxiphora) aurata (Spalowsky 1795)^S60 [=Chiton auratus^S60; incl. C. carmichaelis Gray 1828^S60, *Plaxiphora carmichaelis^P61, C. raripilosus Blainville 1821^F27]

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[BRW98] Beesley, P. L., G. J. B. Ross & A. Wells (eds) 1998. Fauna of Australia vol. 5. Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Part A. Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra.

[BE93] Benton, M. J., & D. H. Erwin. 1993. Mollusca: Amphineura and ‘Monoplacophora’. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 125–130. Chapman & Hall: London.

[B97] Brazier, J. 1897. Note on the shells found in kitchen middens at Bondi Bay. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 21 (4): 817–818.

[C64] Carpenter, P. P. 1864. Supplementary report on the present state of our knowledge with regard to the Mollusca of the west coast of North America. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 33: 517–686.

[F27] Finlay, H. J. 1927. A further commentary on New Zealand molluscan systematics. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 320–485.

[O27] Oldroyd, I. S. 1927. The Marine Shells of the West Coast of North America vol. 2 pt 3. Stanford University Press: Stanford University (California).

[P61] Powell, A. W. B. 1961. Shells of New Zealand: An illustrated handbook 4^th ed. Whitcombe and Tombs Limited: Christchurch.

[S60] Smith, A. G. 1960. Amphineura. In: Moore, R. C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt I. Mollusca 1: Mollusca—General Features, Scaphopoda, Amphineura, Monoplacophora, Gastropoda—General Features, Archaeogastropoda and some (mainly Paleozoic) Caenogastropoda and Opisthobranchia pp. I41–I76. Geological Society of America, and University of Kansas Press.

[SF77] Smith, A. G., & A. J. Ferreira. 1977. Chiton fauna of the Galápagos Islands. Veliger 20 (2): 82–97.