New Zealand and Australian species of the genus Leptochiton (Mollusca Polyplacophora) Author Sirenko, Boris text Zootaxa 2020 2020-09-11 4851 3 401 449 journal article 8566 10.11646/zootaxa.4851.3.1 1420a882-3007-4d6f-afbc-f486390b2215 1175-5326 4407805 D5837E58-53D6-4C51-A5C0-C96A31F26BC4 Leptochiton opiparus (Iredale & Hull, 1925) ( Figure 46E ) Leptochiton opiparus was first synonymized with L. alveolus (M. Sars MS, Lovén, 1846 ) by Kaas & Van Belle (1985) and later with L. belknapi by Kaas & Van Belle (1987) . In my opinion some of the species that were synonymized with L. belknapi are valid. Typical L. belknapi inhabits the Pacific Ocean from off the Pacific side of Hokkaido ( 40°12’N ), the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea and North and South America’s Pacific waters southwards to 42°40’S , at depth of 100 to 3724 m ( Sirenko & Sellanes 2016 ). In the Western Pacific, further south from Hokkaido to New Zealand , more than 10 species which belong to the L. belknapi -group are living. Therefore I think L. opiparus is a valid species. It cannot be excluded that Leptochiton rissoi ( Nierstrasz, 1905 ) reported by Schwabe & Sellanes (2010) to be present in SW Australian waters represents Leptochiton opiparus . .