Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 May 2016
“Chiton” carbonarius Stevens, 1858, is reassigned as the type species to Glaphurochiton Raymond, 1910. This species evolved from an unknown Mississippian ancestor, and spread rapidly into the Midcontinent region, Eastern Interior, and Appalachian basins during the Morrowan. Glaphurochiton carbonarius served as the root stock for development of several species: G. concinnus (Richardson) during the Desmoinesian and G. subcircularis n. sp. during the Virgilian in the Eastern Interior basin and G. elimatus n. sp. in the Appalachian basin and possibly G.? riddlei (Frederickson) in the Midcontinent region during the Missourian.
Glaphurochiton is believed to have been essentially restricted to a mud bottom based upon its occurrence and relative abundance. Commonly the only taxon present, often abundantly, in black and gray shales, Glaphurochiton is rare to absent in limestones, algal limestones, reefs, and shales with an abundance of crustose calcareous algae. The latter lithologies commonly support a diverse polyplacophoran fauna essentially lacking Glaphurochiton.