First record of Acanthopleura vaillantii (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) from Iran - Chabahar Bay in the Oman Sea

Abstract

Chitons are an ancient molluscan lineage with a generally conservative appearance and grazing habit (Ernisse, 2004). Most Chitons (Polyplacophora) live in the intertidal zone and shallow water, but some species dwell in rather deep water. Chitons are distributed in all oceans from the Polar regions through to the tropics. Despite the larger number of molluscan species recorded from Chabahar Bay (e.g. Ashja Ardalan, 1993; Samaei, 1994) and the Iranian coasts of the Persian Gulf (e.g. Kosuge, 1998; Hosseinzadeh et al., 2001), there is no record of Acanthopleura vaillantii de Rochebrune, 1882 in Chabahar Bay. This is the first time that this species of the class Polyplacophora is recorded in Chabahar Bay (Figure 1).