Katharina tunicataBlack Katy Chiton  Geographic Range  Common
along Pacific Northwest Coast. Especially common in the San Jaun
Islands and Strait of Jaun de Fuca (Niesen 1997).   Katharina
tunicata is found in the middle and upper zones of the rocky
intertidal, and can withstand hard wave action. This chiton is
often seen near the borders of mussel clumps. (Niesen 1997;
Mohler 1997)  Physical Description  Katharina tunicata is a
medium sized chiton, with an average length of 7 cm. Its black
girdle almost completely covers the eight whitish plates,
leaving a diamond shaped pattern down the dorsal side. The
plates are sometimes overgrown with algae, so they will appear
green (Mohler 1997). Like most chitons, K. tunicata is oval
shaped, but when removed from the rock it will ball up
(Karleskint 1998). The underside of K. tunicata is commonly
peach colored,and houses the gills and mouth. The foot is
surrounded by mantle and is usually darker orange.   Kathrina
tunicata, like all chitons, has seperate sexes. Katha