Acanthopleura gemmata
Creators: name: Schwabe, Enrico
name: Sirenko, Boris I.
name: Seeto, Johnson
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Polyplacophora
Chitonida
Chitonidae
Acanthopleura
Acanthopleura gemmata

description: Acanthopleura gemmata (de Blainville, 1825)
(Figures 5A, 6A, B)
Chresonymy in Ferreira (1986: 225) and Kaas et al. (2006: 261). Following the latter revision we consider Acanthopleura vaillantii de Rochebrune, 1882, which was considered a synonym of A. gemmata by Ferreira (1986), a distinct species, because the differences in the valve sculpture and proportion, and the girdle elements (summarized in Kaas & Van Belle 1986: 124) are significant enough to separate both taxa. Additionally, Ferreira (1986) pointed out that there is a distribution gap in the Acanthopleura gemmata – complex. According to his data, the western extreme border of this gap aggrees well with the easternmost records of A. vaillantii. In the area between no specimens of either species were found.
Chiton aculeatus; Spengler 1797 (non Linnaeus, 1758): 78.
Chiton gemmatus (-a) de Blainville 1825 (non de Koninck, 1842): 544; Ashby 1922a: 580; Lamy 1923: 264; Iredale & Hull 1927: 126; Fischer 1957: 13; Hoare 2002: 98; Dinapoli 2004: 55; Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
? Chiton magnificus Sowerby 1833 (non Deshayes, 1827): pl. 45, fig. 52; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 80; 1998: 117; Ferreira 1986: 231 (as nomen nudum); Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
Chiton spiniger Sowerby 1840a: 287, Suppl.: pl. 16, fig. 2 (lectotype NHM 1842.5.10.1654 [designated by Ferreira 1986, p. 226], one paralectotype NHM 1842.5.10.1652; type locality: Philippines, Siquijor Island [09°10’N 123°33’E], not seen); 1840b: 1, 10, sp. 3, fig. 68 (1833); 1841: 61; Hanley 1855: 14; Lischke 1873: 23; 1874: 72; Dunker 1882: 158; van Bemmelen 1883b: 362; Moseley 1885: 38; Fischer 1887: 881; Clessin 1903: 81, pl. 30, fig. 3; Lamy 1938: 88; Taki 1938: 401; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 122; 1998: 175; Ferreira 1986: 225, figs 14–16; Slieker 2000: 152; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Strack 2003: 14; Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
? Acanthopleura magnifica; Gray 1847a: 68.
Chiton piceus; Sowerby 1841 (non Gmelin, 1797): 61; Brazier 1877: 74; E.A. Smith 1884: 81; Haddon 1886: 23; Pilsbry 1893: 226, pl. 49, figs 37–38 (not 38–39 as cited by him); Cox 1893: 425; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 100; Ferreira 1986: 233 (as nomen iquirendum); Neubert & Gosteli 2005: 7; Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
Chiton brevispinosus; Berge 1847 [non Sowerby, 1840]: 113.
Chiton (Acanthopleura) obesus Shuttleworth 1853: 191 [nomen nudum]; E.A. Smith 1884: 81; Haddon 1886: 23; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 91; 1998: 132; Ferreira 1986: 233; Slieker 2000: 149; Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
Chiton macgillivrayi A. Adams 1855: 120 (the whereabout of the four syntypes is unknown [Ferreira 1986], Locus typicus: Fiji Island); E.A. Smith 1884: 81; Haddon 1886: 23; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 79; 1998: 116; Ferreira 1986: 226; Slieker 2000: 147; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
Acanthopleura spiniger (-a); Simroth 1894: 106; Boettger 1916: 287, pl. 21, fig. 1 a–c; Ashby 1922a: 580; 1931: 53; Lamy 1923: 264, 265; Oostingh 1925: page without a number; Leloup 1937a: 147, 151, fig. 15b; 1960: 38; 1980b: 5; 1981a: 9 (partim); Taki 1938: 401; Fischer 1957: 23; Fischer-Piette & Franc 1960: 1710, 1715, figs. 1522 & 1528; Lowenstam 1967: 1373; Hyman 1967: 139; Rajagopal & Subba Rao 1974: 407; Wingstrand 1985: 62 –64, 67, 70, 71; figs 22–24, 27, 28; pl. 10, fig. 42; pl. 11, figs 45–46; Sirenko & Kashenko 1990: 49; Hulings 1991: 16; Gowlett- Holmes 1998b: 186; Subba Rao & Dey 2000: 5; Treves et al. 2003: 1103; Subba Rao 2003: 55, figs. 18, 20.2; Dell’Angelo et al. 2004a: 48; Schwabe 2006a: 111; 2006b: 20; Vinther 2006: 22, fig. 15.
Acanthopleura rawakiana de Rochebrune 1882: 195 (lectotype at MNHN 6113 [designated in Ferreira 1986, p. 226], type locality: “Rawak. Terre des Papous” [we failed to find Rawak of Ferreira 1986, p. 226 at Indonesia: Nusa Tenggara Timur, 09°55’S 119°50’E]); Haddon 1886: 30; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 109; 1998: 156; Ferreira 1986: 226, 231, fig. 18; Slieker 2000: 151; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Schwabe 2006a: 111; Kaas et al. 2006: 261.
Acanthopleura balansae de Rochebrune 1882: 197 (lectotype at MNHN 5864 [designated in Ferreira 1986, p. 226], three paralectotypes at MNHN; type locality: New Caledonia [restricted by Ferreira 1986, p. 226]); Haddon 1886: 30; Thiele 1909a: 8; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 14; 1998: 27; Ferreira 1986: 226, 231, fig. 19; Zeidler & Gowlett 1986: 112; Slieker 2000: 139; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 262.
Chiton (Acanthopleura) spiniger; von Martens 1894: 92.
Acanthopleura glareosa Carpenter MS, E.A. Smith 1884: 81 [nomen nudum]; Haddon 1886: 23; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 53; 1998: 81; Ferreira 1986: 226; Slieker 2000: 144; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 262.
Acanthopleura picea (-us); Haddon 1886: 3, 24.
Acanthopleura rawakana [sic]; Pilsbry 1894: 91.
Acanthopleura aculeata; Hedley 1910: 352.
Acanthopleura gemmata; Ashby 1923a: 263; 1931: 49, 53; Hyman 1967: 113; Haas 1972: 13; Coleman 1976: 86; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 52; 1998: 80; Way & Purchon 1981: 313; Ferreira 1982: 47; 1987: 188; Vermeij et al. 1983: 51; Eernisse 1984: 259; Kaas 1986: 17; Wells & Slack-Smith 1986: 43; Zeidler & Gowlett, 1986: 103; Sakker, 1986: 1; Kamardin 1988: 125; 1989: 58; Bullock 1989: 13; Focardi & Chelazzi 1990: 347; Santini et al. 1991: 759; Sirenko 1993: 96, 99, fig. 7C; Cretchley et al. 1997: 59; Yoshioka 1997: 254, fig. 2; Erhardt & Baensch 1998: 509, un-numbered text figure; Gowlett-Holmes 1998b: 185, fig. 3.1; Yoshioka et al. 1999: 79, fig. 2; Higo et al. 1999: 29; Reyes- Gómez 1999: 123; Lindner 1999: 29; Slieker 2000: 21, 54, 144, pl. 15, fig. 8; Wells, Slack-Smith & Brycer 2000: 33; Wells 2000: 94; Schwabe 2000b: 14; 2001: 27; 2006a: 111; 2006b: 20; Yoshioka & Fujitani 2001: 30; 2003a: 9; 2003b: 19; 2006a: 124, fig. 2; 2006b: 172; 2006c: 277; Saito 2001: 19, pl. 9, fig. 8; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Brooker & Macey 2001: 205; Wells 2002: 113; Dell’Angelo & Cianfanelli 2003: 27; Coleman 2003: 30, un-numbered text figure; Pauley 2003: Appendix 1; Brooker 2003: 7; 2006: 170; Nishihama et al. 2003: 12; Sasaki et al. 2003: 23; Strack 2003: 14; Dell’Angelo et al. 2004a: 54, pl. 5, figs 1–3; Dinapoli 2004: 56; Gaymer et al. 2004: 149; Wu 2004: 11; Schwabe 2005a: 54, pl. 2, fig. 5; Neubert & Gosteli 2005: 7; Sirenko 2006: 40, fig. 11.33; Vinther 2006: 14, fig. 7B, pl. 13; Kaas et al. 2006: 261, fig. 106; Saito 2006c: 122, fig. 6G; Burghardt et al. 2006: 30, pl. 1, fig. 14; Todt et al. 2008: 72, fig. 4.1.E.
Acanthopleura gemmata queenslandica Ashby 1922b: 30 (holotype at SAMA D 12459; type locality: Australia: Queensland: Dunk Island [17°56’S 146°06’E], not seen); Ashby 1928: 172 (holotype selected as neotype of A. gemmatus, thus A. gemmata queenslandica became an objective synonym of A. gemmata); Iredale & Hull 1926b: 264; 1927: 127; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 108; 1998: 154; Ferreira 1986: 225; Zeidler & Gowlett 1986: 103; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 262.
Acanthozostera gemmata; Mackay 1930: 293, 295, 296; Taki 1938: 401; 1955: 53; 1961: 8; Cotton & Weeding 1939: 197; Cotton & Godfrey 1940: 565, fig. 571; Risbec 1946: 130, 173, fig. 22; Joyce 1959: 239, fig. 11b; Kuroda 1960: 1; Cotton 1964: 99; Maxwell 1968: 169; Glynn 1970: 7, 17; S. Y. Smith 1975: 59; Lyman 1975: 68; A.G. Smith & Ferreira 1977: 89; Cernohorsky 1978: 42; Schmidt-Effing 1980: 314; Dell’Angelo 1984: 77; Burghardt & Burghardt 1999: 4, text fig.
Acanthopleura gemmatus maudensis Ashby 1928: 172, pl. 12, figs 8, 9 (holotype at SAMA D 10775; type locality: Australia: Western Australia: Maud’s Landing [23°06’S 113°48’E], not seen); Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 82; 1998: 120; Ferreira 1986: 225; Zeidler & Gowlett 1986: 103; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 262.
Acanthopleura (Acanthozostera) gemmata; Thiele 1929: 21.
Acanthopleura bergenhayni Leloup 1937b: 3 (holotype at NHM 19823, type locality: “N. C. Australia ”, not seen); Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 15; 1998: 30; Ferreira 1986: 226, figs 20–21; Slieker 2000: 139; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 262.
Acanthozostera spiniger; Taki 1961: 8.
Acanthozostera virens Ang 1967: 393, 421, pl. 15, figs 1–5 (holotype at UPM Am-112, no paratypes designated but additional material of unknown quantity from 17 stations in UPM; type locality: Philippines [Of all the specimens the author reported in his description he unfortunately selected one as holotype with no detailed data. The bulk of the mentioned material is from Puerto Galera, Mindoro Island, so it is likeley that the type comes from there, especially as the two preceeding registration numbers, hold material from there], not seen); Ferreira 1986: 226, 227; Kaas & Van Belle 1998: 198; Slieker 2000: 154; Gowlett-Holmes 2001: 33; Kaas et al. 2006: 262.
Acanthopleura virens; Kaas & Van Belle 1980: 141.
Acanthopleura granulata; Leloup 1981a (non Gmelin, 1791): 1; Schwabe 2006a: 111.
Acanthopleura; Purchon & Purchon 1981: 299 (this is the material Way & Purchon 1981 referred to as Acanthopleura gemmata).
Acanthosoostera gemmata [sic]; Cruz & Sotela 1984: 66. Acanthopleura spinifera [sic]; Wingstrand 1985: 64.
Acansozostrea gemmata [sic]; Kwon et al. 2000: 16, fig. 12.
Locus typicus: Australia, Queensland, Dunk Island [17°56’S 146°06’E].
Primary type: Neotype (SAMA D12459), not seen. Ashby (1928: 172, figs 6 & 7) selected the holotype of Acanthopleura gemmata queenslandica Ashby, 1922 as neotype of A. gemmatus.
Fiji records: Chiton macgillivrayi A. Adams 1855: 120.
Acanthopleura macgillivrayi; Haddon, 1886: 23.
Acanthopleura (Acanthopleura) spiniger; Pilsbry 1893: 221, pl. 48.
Acanthopleura spinigera; Bergenhayn 1930a: 39, pl. 3, figs 55–61, 70–74; Leloup 1933: 23.
Acanthozostera gemmata; Cernohorsky 1978: 42; Morton & Raj 1981: 6, 19, 84, 108, pls I.3, I.7, IV.8, IV.18.
Acanthopleura gemmata; Ferreira 1986: 228; 1987: 188.
Material examined: USP Mol 4970: 1 juvenile spm, Viti Levu, Coral coast, opposite the Vilisites restaurant, Votua Village [18°13'S 177°43'E], leg. V. Bonito & Lisa Kirkendale, 16 October 2001, wet. USP Mol 2113 (BC5-72A): 1 subadult spm, South shore of Yabu Island, Great Astrolabe Lagoon (18°50'08''S 178°30'08''E), on boulder exposed at low tide, leg. M. Gravel & B. Carlson, 0 1 April 1972, wet; USP Mol 2680 (FR1 [Bv] Ref 37-47]): 1 subadult, 1 adult spm, Viti Levu, Toberua Island, Mbau Waters, reef to the north of the Island [17°57'S 178°42'E], mid-littoral, leg. Peter Beveridge & Schivrer, 21 August 1968, wet. ZSM Mol 20061614: 2 adult spms, Viti Levu, Laucala Bay, west side of Nukumbutho Island 18°10.474'S 178°28.343'E; lowest low tide at about 10–11:00, at the top of a limestone near the inner edge of the fringing reef, air exposed, in small crevices, seaward, leg. Enrico Schwabe, 21 August 2006, wet; ZISP: 2 adult spms, Suva, reef, intertidal rocks, leg. S.
Vassilenko, 0 5 September 1971, wet; ZISP: 4 adult spms, Tuvutha Id. [17°40'S 178°48'W] Callisto St. 23c, intertidal rocks, leg. Boris Sirenko, 0 7 February 1975, wet; ZISP: 1 adult spm, Vekai Island [17°34'S 178°49'W], Callisto St. 24c, leg. Boris Sirenko, 0 8 February 1975, wet.
Additionally specimens from the following points were photo documented (ZSM): Fiji, Viti Levu, Laucala Bay, north side of Makuluva Island 18°11.250'S 178°30.992'E, about 10 specimens were sitting in crevices on top of limestones, air exposed, 26 August 2006 (E. Schwabe); Fiji, Vanua Levu, Somosomo Strait, limestone in the intertidal zone, 21 January 2007 (Achim Nimmerfroh).
Habitat: Morton & Raj (1981) gave an excellent description of the habitat preferences of A. gemmata. The species inhabits the upper surface of limestone rocks of the Barrier reef, where they may be found exposed during the low tide sitting in crevices and sea urchin depressions.
Distribution: Kaas et al. (2006: 264) listed a wide distribution for this species, showing occurrences from the Andaman Sea in the East to Tonga and the Marquesas Islands. It is also known from Northern and Southwestern Australia to the northern Philippines. Kaas et al. (2006) also mentioned the reappearance of this species in some regions of East Africa, but in our opinion these records need a critical reevaluation. Additionally the records of the species from Japan (Saito 2001: 19) and from the Samoan Islands (Schwabe 2001: 27) are noteworthy, the first record likely revealing the northern range limit and the latter showing continuity between the Marquesas and the other localities, a connection previously doubted as Ferreira (1986: 230) argued this species does not occur in Samoa.
Remarks: According to Morton & Raj (1981) this species is also found along the boulder fields along the coast, but in the immediate vicinity of the USP the species can no longer be found due to the activities of local fishers (see also Ferreira 1987, p. 188), who eat the species ("tadruku" as the natives call them, are cooked in salt water, with the valves, perinotum elements and innards removed and the foot and remaining perinotum parts cut into small pieces,). As the only chiton species with commercial value in Fiji, the local populations should be monitored so that the species does not go extinct.
description: Published as part of Schwabe, Enrico, Sirenko, Boris I. & Seeto, Johnson, 2008, A checklist of Polyplacophora (Mollusca) from the Fiji islands, pp. 1-52 in Zootaxa 1777 on pages 18-20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274284