UNIKONTA>OPISTHOKONTA>ANIMALIA>METAZOA>BILATERIA>PROTOSTOMATA>SPIRALIA>TROCHOZOA>EUTROCHOZOA>MOLLUSCA: Mollusca (mo-LUS-ka) is derived from the Latin word molluscus, which means soft. They are mostly marine organisms and they burrow in mud and sand. General Characteristics of Phylum Mollusca They have a bilaterally symmetrical body (exception: gastropods body asymmetrical) and show organ system grade of organization. 7. They have the ability to squirt ink during threatened. Glory-of-the-sea snail (Conus gloriamaris) is prized by collectors for its ornate shell. Fertilization is external (in sessile group such as in oyster) or internal. They are exclusively marine organisms and have a worldwide distribution. 2. There is a between Mollusca and Echinodermata in terms of morphological, physiological and behavioural characteristics. The body cavity is known as hemocoel which circulates blood. PHYLUM MOLLUSCA (SOFT BODY) I. CHARACTERISTICS A. Most bivalves are enjoyed as delicacies, despite the fact that they are benthic level filter-feeders. Sense organs are eyes, tentacles, osphradium and statocyst. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; They use the ventral muscular foot for locomotion. The blood circulatory system is open with a heart and for excretion, a pair of kidneys are present that open to the pallial cavity. Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs. They have a pseudocoelom. amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Your Products"; The classes are: 1. December 10, 2015, Please Rate This group displays a broad range of morphological features such as a muscular foot, a mantle and visceral mass containing internal organs. Image courtesy of Jan Delsing, Wikimedia Commons The phylum Mollusca is the second-largest animal phylum, with over 100,000 species. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Hippurate Hydrolysis Test- Principle, Uses, Procedure, Result Interpretation with Limitations, HAEMAGGLUTINATION ASSAY – VIRAL QUANTITATION. They have open type blood circulatory system with heart (one or two auricles and one ventricle) and aorta. amzn_assoc_linkid = "df6e3e2dfb2223ece0caaeddeb1e4806"; Generally, their foods consist of small organisms such as foraminiferans and young bivalves. Their brain is large and well-developed in contrast to any other mollusks. Mostly aquatic (marine and few are fresh-water) and some are terrestrial living in damp soil. 5. They vary in size from giant squids and clams to little snails, a millimeter long. The body is divided into segments. In this case, the shell is a hard calcareous structure, made up of calcium carbonate. They are also known as tusk shells, elephant’s tusk, elephant’s tooth or tooth shells. All freshwater molluscs have one or two shells composed of a thin outer layer of proteinaceous perisostracum and a strong inner layer of mostly crystalline calcium carbonate. The nervous system consists of three pair of ganglia (cerebral, visceral and pedal) with connectives and nerves. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; Among all known marine species, 23% are mollusks. Glochidium larva also occurs during the parasitic stage for some species (mussels and clams). Examples: Mya arenaria (soft-shell clam),  Mercenaria mercenaria (hard clam). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright © 2020 Microbiology Notes. amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "672123011"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Very very good . 10 Important Characteristics of Mollusca are given below: One of the characteristics of mollusca is having a soft body and is protected by a hard shell that is bilaterally symmetrical. You might also read: Phylum-Cnidaria/Coelenterata: General Characteristics and Its Classification. They have a large and flat muscular foot which is used for creeping, swimming or burrowing. The mollusks are among the … This phylum can be segregated into seven classes: Aplacophora, Monoplacophora, Polyplacophora, Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, and Scaphopoda. Digestive system is well developed with a hard chitinous structure, called radula. As others in the phylum Mollusca, bivalves have a shell that is made up of deposits of Calcium Carbonate. These worm-like animals lack the shells and muscular feet characteristic of other mollusks, and their bodies are covered with scale-like, calcareous spicules. The captaculae are used to grasp and capture prey. The body is covered by a shell made up of calcium carbonate. amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; They have a well-developed nervous and circulatory system with the concentration of nerve ganglia. The body is divided into head, dorsal visceral mass, and ventral muscular foot and mantle. The animals of this phylum are soft-bodied, non-metameric, triploblastic coelomates and fundamentally bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates with a thin fleshy envelope the mantle, around the visceral (internal organs of the body) which may secrete calcareous shell. It is the second largest phylum in the animal kingdom. e. Annelida. They have a bilaterally symmetrical body with a curved anterior apex, and a ventral foot and mouth. ADVERTISEMENTS: The following points highlight the six main classes of phylum mollusca. In this article we will discuss about the general characters and classification of Phylum Mollusca. Lamarck coined the term Molluscus. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; For instance the nervous system structure is for the most part the same in most Mollusca. External or internal fertilization occurs. amzn_assoc_default_category = "Shoes"; They have elongate-oval and flattened body. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; It overlaps the … The molluscs include many familiar animals, including clams, snails, slugs, and squid, as well as some less familiar animals, like tusk shells and chitons (Fig. b. Nematoda. Study of molluscan shell is called conchology. 3 Biologists and taxonomists study characteristics of the organisms of each phylum … The organisms belonging to phylum Mollusca exhibit the following characteristics: 1. Body possesses a through gut with mouth and anus. Monoplacophora: 1. amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Your Products"; amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "13900871"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; This class contains about more than 350 species. The most general characteristic of molluscs is they are unsegmented and bilaterally symmetrical. Solanogastres, like caudofoveata, are worm-like mollusks that lack shells. They have a modified foot. Caudofoveates are small, deep-sea mollusks that burrow into soft bottom sediments. Triploblastic, soft-bodied animals with bilateral symmetry except gastropods which are asymmetrical due to twisting known … The body is bilaterally symmetrical and covered by a mantle. Animal kingdom: Phylum Mollusca in detail - Duration: 10:09. amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; They are very small sized mollusks and their length ranges from 5 -30 cm. All notes of Bacteriology, Virology, Parasitology, Mycology and Laboratory, By Pratiksha Pokhrel Some mollusks such as bivalves and gastropods produce valuable pearls. Example: They do not have a head with no eyes or eyespots. 3.52. The left and right side of the body is equal or identical. They are mostly marine, few fresh water and also found in damp soil. They have a broad ventral foot that is used for suction to rocks and other substrates. The body contains eight overlapping dorsal plates. Cephalopoda. Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; Although the phylum Mollusca are made up of a set of incredibly diverse animals, there are certain characteristics which aid to classify them. Whether you are looking to discover mollusks characteristics, classification of mollusca and/or information about all types of mollusks, this article is for you. Extraordinarily difficult task VIRAL QUANTITATION contrast to any other mollusks, and burrow... Among them, many scientists use bivalve mollusks as bioindicators of the conspicuous! Gills or ctenidia, lungs ( pulmonary sac ) or General body surface in the head does bear.: Phylum-Cnidaria/Coelenterata: General Characteristics and classes of the light phylum do cephalopods,... Squirt ink during threatened – VIRAL QUANTITATION, bilaterally symmetrical, triploblastic, unsegmented, vermiform, organ- system of... 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