Chaetopleura apiculata

Chaetopleura apiculata is a species of small chiton in the family Chaetopleuridae. It is a marine mollusc.

Chaetopleura apiculata
Scale in mm
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Polyplacophora
Order:	Chitonida
Family:	Chaetopleuridae
Genus:	Chaetopleura
Subgenus:	Chaetopleura
Species:	C. apiculata
Binomial name
Chaetopleura apiculata (Say in Conrad, 1834)
Synonyms[1]
Chiton apiculatus Say in Conrad, 1834

Distribution

• Gulf of Mexico^[1]
• North West Atlantic^[1]

Description

Teeth of the radula of this species were studied using atom-probe tomography to analyze the chemical structure; the results were published in 2011.^[2] It was shown that the teeth contained fibers surrounded by magnetite, and some of them also contained sodium or magnesium.^[2] This was probably the first time that atom-probe tomography was used in the study of a radula and in biominerals.^{[citation needed]}