Favoritos de sagecrab

Beautifully sculpted valve with turquoise margin. I’ve never seen so many shells left on the beach following the super high tide.

Chitons are marine mollusks in the Phylum Mollusca. They have a series of 8 plates or valves that are held together by an outer girdle.

Mossy Chiton (Mopalia muscosa) oval shaped, up to 80 mm (3") long. Valves are coarsely sculptured but often eroded or overgrown, dull brown to blackish purple or gray in color. Chiton valves that wash up on shore reveal a beautiful turquoise margin and underside.

Beachcombers's Guide to Seashore Life of California, J.D. Sept, Rev. ed. 2009, p. 68.

SEANET Hopkins Marine Station https://seanet.stanford.edu/Molluscs#muscosa