| Abstract from DBPedia | Chitons (/ˈkaɪtənz/) are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (/ˌpɒlipləˈkɒfərə/), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail shells, or more formally as loricates, polyplacophorans, and occasionally as polyplacophores. Chitons have a shell composed of eight separate shell plates or valves. These plates overlap slightly at the front and back edges, and yet articulate well with one another. Because of this, the shell provides protection at the same time as permitting the chiton to flex upward when needed for locomotion over uneven surfaces, and even allows the animal to curl up into a ball when dislodged from rocks. The shell plates are encircled by a skirt known as a girdle.多板綱（たばんこう）は、軟体動物の一群で、一般的にはヒザラガイ(膝皿貝・石鼈)類として知られている。扁平な体で、背面に一列に並んだ8枚の殻を持っており、現生の軟体動物では最も体節制を思わせる体制をもっている。ただし実際には体節ではなく、偽体節とされる。 (Source: http://dbpedia.org/resource/Chiton) |
