• Second-largest phylum in number of species- over 100,000 described.

• Ecologically widespread- marine, freshwater, terrestrial (gastropods very successful on land)

• Variety of body plans (therefore, many classes within the phylum)

• Variety in body size- from ~1 mm to ~18 m (60 feet). 80% are under 5 cm, but many are large and therefore significant as food for man.

Phylum Mollusca

Extant Molluscan classes

Monoplacophora

Aplacophora

Scaphopoda (tusk shells)

Cephalopoda (octopus, squid,nautilus)

Gastropoda (snails)

Bivalvia (clams, mussels)

Polyplacophora (chitons)

Mollusk characteristics

• Ciliated body surface

• Calcareous shell- composed of three primary layers- outer periostracum, middle prismatic layer (columnar crystals of calcite) and inner nacre (flat crystals of calcite)

• Mantle- dorsal surface of body wall, modified to secrete shell

More mollusk characteristics

• Radula- a rasping “tongue” with chitin teeth, sometimes also chitinous jaws

• Ctenidia- ciliated gills for respiratory gas exchange, usually located in a mantle cavity

• Open circulatory system (hemocoel)- coelom is reduced

• ~800 species, all marine, many intertidal

• Shell is distinctive- 8 overlapping plates imbedded partly or entirely in tough “girdle”.

• Mantle space extends around perimeter of animal (not just posterior).

• Ctenidia are lateral and multiple.

• Very conservative class. Fossils date to mid/late Cambrian (500 my).

Class Polyplacophora (chitons)

A collection of chitons

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Class BivalviaClams, Oysters, Shipworms

Class BivalviaClams, Oysters, Shipworms

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Class Bivalvia

• Two shells• Most are filter feeders• No head or radula• Burrow

– Sand, wood, rocks

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Giant Clam & Burrowing ClamSiphon

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Zebra Mussel

• Environmental Pest• Ballast water of ships

from Europe in 1986• Attack be secreting

adhesive byssal threads– Each other

– Other mussels

– Man made objects• Pipes, plumbing

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Zebra Mussel

• Live in high densities• Feed on phytoplankton• Reproduce rapidly

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Zebra Mussel

• Attach to native mussels• Killed all native mussels

in Lake Erie

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Distribution of Zebra Mussel

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Oysters

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Pearl formation

Developing pearlDeveloping pearlDeveloping pearlDeveloping pearl

EpitheliumEpitheliumEpitheliumEpithelium

ShellShellShellShell

Irritant lodged between shell and mantle

Layers of nacre secreted around foreign material

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Scallops

Cephalopoda

Rapid movement; well-developed nervous systems. 

Example:  Octopus, squid, nautilus 

• Originally described from fossils- thought to be extinct since Devonian (350 mya)

• first live specimens recovered in 1952 from 3,600 m depth

• Primitive class, most similar to gastropods, chitons

• Organ systems show metamerism, similar to annelids and arthropods

Class Monoplacophora (“single shell carriers”)

• snails, slugs, nudibranchs, limpets, cowrys, abalones, etc.

• By far the largest and most diverse molluscan class- over 80% of mollusc species are gastropods

• Marine benthic, pelagic, freshwater benthic, terrestrial (mesic & xeric)

• Grazers or predators

• Prominent head, with well-developed sensory structures (second only to cephalopods)

Class Gastropoda (“belly-foot”)

Gastropod shell

Basically a cone, straight or coiled, with new shell deposited at the margin of the open end during growth

New growth

limpets snails

Gastropoda, Prosobranchia, ArcheogastropodaAbalone are large, valuable snails that are harvested and cultured for food and the iridescent shells

Gastropoda, Prosobranchia,

Mesogastropoda

• Example- conchs (Strombus ~50 species)

• The queen conch (Strombus gigas) herbivorous- it is common in the Caribbean and is harvested for its meat and shell.

• This species is economically important and of conservation concern due to overharvesting and pollution

                    

          

Conch pearls

Some other mesogastropod prosobranchs

cowriestritons

Gastropoda, Prosobranchia,

NeogastropodaExample- cone snails- Conus500-1000 species.

All cone snails inject venom and several of the fish eaters can be fatal to humans

Cone snails are able to engulf their prey whole after paralyzing it with venom

Cone snails have conotoxins- unique venom strategy.

Many different small peptides target different receptors and enzymes. One species may have over 100 different peptides.

Conotoxins have exceptionally high affinity for receptors and a very high target specificity.

Great interest in these peptides as pharmacological agents for research and for drug use

Muricids

Some other neogastropod prosobranchs

Volutes

Whelks

• Bubble snails (cephalaspids)

• Sea slugs

• Nudibranchs: (dorids, aeolids) most are carnivorous, feed on cnidarians

• Sacoglossans: most are herbivorous- many adopt chloroplasts

• Pteropods: (thecosomes, gymnosomes) pelagic, foot modified into winglike lobes

• Sea Hares: (anaspids) important in neurobiology

Subclass Opisthobranchia (gills-behind) some major groups by common name

Bubble shells (Order Cephalaspida) Most are aeolian carnivores on gastropods and annelids

Nudibranchs (Order Nudibranchia)

Shell, mantle cavity and ctenida are gone

Possess cerata (singular = ceras) dorsal projections of the body wall and hemocoel that act as secondary gills

Most are carnivorous and feed largely on cnidarian polyps.

There are two suborders- Doridina (dorids) and Aeolidina (aeolids).

Nudibranchs are some of the most incredibly colorful animals on earth

Dorid nudibranchs

More dorid nudibranchs

(suborder Doridina))

Aeolid nudibranchs (suborder Aeolidina)

Borrowed weaponsAeolids feed on cnidarians and store the functional nematocysts at the tips of their cerata in cnidosacs

Each ceras contains a branch of the digestive gland. A duct connects the cnidosac to the digestive gland.

Stained section of cnidosac showing nematocysts at tip

Digestive gland

cnidosac

Saccoglossan sea slugs-

Shell reduced or absent

most saccoglossans are herbivores that suck plant cytoplasm- some can hijack chloroplasts

Left: sacoglossan Placida showing network of ducts containing green chloroplasts from its algal food.

Right: aeolid nudibranch Pteraeolidia "farms" colonies of brown single-celled algae (zooxanthellae) in its cerata (stolen from cnidarian prey).

Solar-powered Opisthobranchs

Mimicry among dorid nudibranchs and polyclad flatworms- can you tell which is which?

Pterotrachea coronata“sea elephant” A pelagic prosobranch (Mesogastropoda: Heteropoda) that is convergent on pteropods The foot is a sculling fin

Sea hares- (Anaspidea)

internal shell, ink defense, neurobiology subjects