Page 9 - Chitons_Mollusca_DELL_ANGELO_1998

Chitons in Strait of Sicily
-113m, grab), 4 plates; st. 277 (Skerki bank, 1985 Lepidopleurus cancellatus Auct. (not So-
-71 m, grab), l spm. (lengtb 3 mm). werby) - Gaglini, Pl. 7, Fig. 6
1987 Leptochiton (Leptochiton) sp.nov.? -
Remarks: most small-sized Atlantic and Cesari, p. 10, Pl. 7, Figs. 1-5; Pl. 8, Figs. 1-5;
Mediterranean Leptochiton collected bet- Pl. 11, Figs. 1-3
ween 30-100 m of deptb bave been often ac- 1987 Leptochiton (L.) cimicoides (Montero-
ritically referred to tbe present species, alt- sato) -Dell'Angelo and Palazzi, p. 97, Figs.
hougb some are attributable to closer taxa, 1-15 (cum syn.)
i.e., Lepidopleurus scabridus (Jeffreys, 1880), 1989 Lepidopleurus ( Leptochiton) cimicoides
L.sarsi Kaas, 1981 and L.cimicoides (Monte- (Monterosato)- Dell'Angelo and Palazzi, p.
rosato, 1879). Leptochiton cancellatus is well 64, Pls. 14-15 ( cum .syn.)
defined by (i) tbe sculpture of tbe centrai 1990 Leptochiton (L.) cimicoides (Montero-
areas of tbe posterior and intermediate pla- sato) - Kaas and V an Belle, p. 7, Fig. l
tes, formed by a network of about 60 close-
spaced longitudinal striae of coalescent gra- Materia): st. 71 (Grabam bank, -119 m,
nules (Dell'Angelo and Palazzi, 1986: Fig. grab ), l p late; st. 285 (Skerki bank, -91 m,
41), (ii) tbe cbaracteristic and ubiquitous grab ), l specimen found alive o n a rbodolitb
trellis ornamentation of tbe plates, and (iii) (lengtb 2 mm).
the regularly rounded outline of tbe inter-
mediate plates. Remarks: tbis small and uncommon spe-
cies bas been often confused witb otber mi-
Ecology: L.cancellatus bas a wide batby- nute Lepidopleurus, especially witb L.cancel-
metric range, being distributed from extre- latus, as already discussed above. Tbis taxon
me Iow tide (Brittany: Fiscber, 1978) to 920 bas bee n recently reviewed by Dell'Angelo
m, altbougb it is more frequent between 10 and Palazzi (1987) wbo bave also synonymi-
and 100m (Kaas and Van Belle, 1985a). Off zed tbe species under scrutiny witb Lepido-
tbe Italian coasts, tbere are records of tbis pleurus intermedius Salvini-Piawen, 1968.
taxon from mid-sbelf sbelly basb, deep-sea Leptochiton sp.nov.? described an d figured
coral assemblages and batbyal muds (Biondi by Cesari (1987) based on two individuals
and Di Paco, 1996). collected from tbe Adriatic sea between 70-
110 m of deptb, may well belong to tbis ta-
Distribution: L.cancellatus is confirmed xon.
from tbe Atlantic coasts of tbe Britisb Isles,
France, Spain and Portugal; in tbe Mediter- Ecology: tbere are no detailed informa-
ranean it bas been sporadically recorded tions about tbe ecologie requirements of tbis
from tbe Tyrrbenian sea ( Giannutri isl., offs- sballow water taxon.
hore Naples), Adriatic sea (lagoon of Veni-
ce) an d lonian sea (Amendolara bank), Distribution: Lepidopleurus cimicoides bas
Strait of Sicily (Malta) and Aegean sea been uncommonly recorded from tbe coasts
(Greece). of Sicily (Palermo, Siracusa, Porto Palo),
Tuscany (Capraia isl.), Latium (Tor Paterno
Lepidopleurus (Leptochiton) cimicoides sboal), Croatia (Dalmatia) and Provence. lt
(MONTEROSATO, 1879) Pl. l, Fig. 9, Pl. 2, is also known in tbe Eastern Atlantic (West
Figs. 3-4 Sabara).

Selected references: Lepidopleurus (Leptochiton) geronensis
1879 Chiton cimicoides Monterosato, p. 23 (KAAs an d V AN BELLE, 1985)

P/. l - l, Lepidopleurus cancel/atus (CS96-277) length 3 mm; 2, Lepidopleurus africanus (CS96-254) length 23.5 mm;
3, Lepidop/eurus africanus (CS96-93), intermediate valve, width 2.4 mm; 4, Lepidopleurus africanus (CS96-93) valve
VIII, latera) view, width 2.5 mm; 5, Lepidopleurus bedullii (CS96-88), valve VIII, width 2 mm; 6, Lepidopleurus
africanus (CS96-22), Jength 8 mm; 7, Lepidopleurus africanus (CS96-93), valve VIII, width 2.5 mm; 8, Lepidopleurus
cajetanus (CS96-84), valve VIII, width 2 mm; 9, Lepidopleurus cimicoides (CS96-285), Jength 2 mm; IO, Hanleya
nagelfar (CS96-32), valve VIII, width 8.2 mm.