Southeast Alaska Field Notes

Katharina tunicata

· I found it very difficult to remove the animal from its substrate. To peel the chiton from rock I used a knife and even that was   difficult.
· The majority of the animals I found were at Amalga Harbor. I think I was able to find more here because of the relatively higher   density of algae. I did find some Black Katies at Auke Bay and at False Outer Point but only one at a time. At Amalga the animals   were higher on the intertidal and much more abundant.
· At False Outer and Auke Bay the chitons had crawled into crevices, probably to inhibit predation. At Amalga Harbor, however, the   chitons were more exposed and easier to find.
· Most of the plates were covered with dingy brown and green residue that I expect is algae. None of the species I found in the field   had white plates.

 

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