butterfly-shaped shell with photos

[paul monfils]

This is a shell plate from the world's largest chiton, Cryptochiton stelleri, which reaches a foot in length.  The shell plates in this unusual chiton are internal, not visible at all in the living animal.

Here's a picture of the 8 shell plates, arranged as they would be inside the living animal:

<a href="http://members.cox.net/paulcyp/CRYPTstelleri.jpg" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://members.cox.net/paulcyp/CRYPTstelleri.jpg">http://members.cox.net/paulcyp/CRYPTstelleri.jpg</a><!-- m --></a>  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2008-12-16 04:33:44 --</span>