📸 PhotoPhoto: Lischke, 1873 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Liolophura japonica
Liolophura japonica (Liolophura japonica · ヒザラガイ)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum shell length of 4.4 cm is slightly shorter than the short side of a credit card (5.4 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Because it lives on wave-washed rocky shores where mussels attach (SeaLifeBase), you can spot it by looking closely among mussel beds on coastal rocks.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Liolophura japonica is a mollusk in the class Polyplacophora (chitons) that lives attached among mussels on wave-swept rocky shores.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its shell length reaches up to about 4.4 cm.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Planktonic larvae (trochophore larvae) hatch from eggs, settle on the bottom, and transform into the adult form. Sexes are generally separate.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is listed on the National List of Species of Korea under the Korean name Gunbu (Korean name).
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • marinespecies.org — aphia.php
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000044195 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000044195
- • wikidata.org — Q872337
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Naturalis Biodiversity Center - RMNH.MOL.115720 - Liolo
- • sealifebase.se — Liolophura-japonica.html
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.