• 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

10
Class Bivalvia
Clams, Oysters, Shipworms

11
Class Bivalvia
• Two shells
• Most are filter feeders
• No head or radula
• Burrow
– Sand, wood, rocks

12

13

14
Giant Clam & Burrowing Clam
Siphon

15
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

16
Zebra Mussel
• Live in high densities
• Feed on phytoplankton
• Reproduce rapidly

17
Zebra Mussel
• Attach to native mussels
• Killed all native mussels
in Lake Erie

18
Distribution of Zebra Mussel

19
Oysters

20
Pearl formation
Developing pearlDeveloping pearl
EpitheliumEpithelium
ShellShell
Irritant lodged between shell and mantle
Layers of nacre secreted around foreign material

21
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, Archeogastropoda
Abalone 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
cowries
tritons

Gastropoda,
Prosobranchia,
Neogastropoda
Example- cone snails- Conus
500-1000 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 weapons
Aeolids 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