Chiton

Chiton Temporal range: PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
A live lined chiton, Tonicella lineata photographed in situ: The anterior end of the animal is to the right.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Polyplacophora Blainville, 1816
Subgroups
See text.

Chitons are primitive marine molluscs in the class Polyplacophora (formerly the class Amphineura). There are 900 to 1,000 living species of chitons. The size ranges from 0.5 to 30 cm in length. most are quite small. All the living species are in the subclass Neoloricata and so may be called loricates Popular names are sea cradles or coat of mail shells They have a single shell that sticks to rocks, like a limpet. The shell is made of 8 hard plates that fit tightly together, overlapping one another. The shell plates are surrounded by a structure known as a girdle.