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Introduction: Chitons are marine molluscs, mostly grazers, resistant to tidal conditions and often living in crevices of rocks. The Oman Sea is located in the southeast of Iran and the northwest of the Indian Ocean and is heavily influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean. Due to the occurrence of the monsoon process, the Makoran Sea has a rich variety of marine species, including molluscs. The aim of the present research was to investigate the density and distribution of Acanthopleura vaillantii in the beaches of Pozm, Konarak, Tis, Kolbe Ghawasi, Darya Bozorg and Ramin in winter 2018 and summer 2019.Materials and Methods: In this study, the density and distribution of A. vaillantii was investigated in transects perpendicular to the sea and in the tidal zone, using a quadrat (1*1 m2). in the tidal zone of six stations on the coasts of Pozm, Konarak, Tis, Kolbe Ghavasi, Darya Bozorg and Ramin. A number of samples in each station were taken to the laboratory to measure biological parameters such as length, total wet weight, soft tissue moisture content, tissue moisture percentage and dry weight percentage. In each station, physical and chemical factors of water (temperature-salinity and acidity) were measured and recorded by WTW device. Results: Investigations showed that the highest average density in the winter of 2018 was in Ramin station and was equal to 11.27 ± 1.46 m2. In total, Ramin station had the highest average density in winter and summer with a value of 19.15 ± 2.67 m2. Also, the lowest average density was related to the diving hut station in summer and the first transect of the lower part of the tide, which was not recorded due to the presence of a sandy bed. In total, the average density for two seasons was 0.85 ± 0.26 m2 at the Kolbeh ghavasi station. Also, the statistical test showed a significant difference between the stations (P |
