Leptochiton vietnamensis Sirenko, 1998

Sigwart, Julia D. & Sirenko, Boris I., 2012, Deep-sea chitons from sunken wood in the West Pacific (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Lepidopleurida): taxonomy, distribution, and seven new species, Zootaxa 3195, pp. 1-38 : 13

Leptochiton vietnamensis Sirenko, 1998

Leptochiton vietnamensis Sirenko 1998: 1 , figs 1–3; Sirenko 2001: 45 –47, figs 31–47, 168–171; 2004: 112, 115, table 1; Schwabe 2006a: 19 –22, pl. 1 figs A–D, pl. 2 figs A–F; Sigwart et al. 2011: 567, 569, table 3, fig. 2; Yearsley & Sigwart 2011: table 1.

+ Leptochiton longispinus Saito, 2001: 111 –114, text figs 6, 7, pl. 1 figs 4–6; Sirenko 2004: table 1 [as junior synonym of L. vietnamensis ].

Material examined. 22 specimens in 3 lots from the Philippines, 15 specimens in 11 lots from the Solomon Islands.

Distribution. The total range of this species is from 21.7° S – 6.95° N by 97.37°–168° E, reported from South China Sea (700 m: Sirenko 1998), Andaman Sea (651 m: Schwabe 2006a), New Caledonia (270–800 m: Sirenko 2001), 2323 (522–677 m: Sirenko 2001; this study), and now also the Philippines (989–1764 m) and Solomon Islands (989–1313 m). Found living and feeding on sunken terrestrial plant remains.