FACULTY OF BIORESOURCES AND FOOD TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR DEGREE OF AQUATIC SCIENCE

SESSION 2021/2022

INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY

ASQ21203

LAB REPORT: OBSERVATION OF EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL

ANATOMY GASTROPODA, BIVALVIA AND PLATYHELMINTHES

LECTURER’S NAME: DR. NORSHIDA BINTI ISMAIL

NO. NAME MATRIC NO.

1. NUR ANIS HANNANI BINTI MUHAMAD NOH BADL20059471

2. NOORZAHIDAH BT SININ BADL20061159

3. NUR SYAFIQA UMAIRAH BINTI MOHAMAD SAZALI BADL20059790

4. NUR FARAHDATUL HUSNA BINTI MOHD FAZIL BADL20059560

INTRODUCTION:
External Anatomy
The bodies of most gastropods are made up of numerous fundamental components. Snails
move by using muscle activity and hydrostatic pressure to crawl on a fleshy foot that spans
the length of their body (see image above). The internal organs are covered by the soft-tissue
mantle, which is also utilised to construct the shell (when present). A mouth, sensory
structures such as tentacles or syphons, and eyes, which are sometimes at the extremities of
stalks, are found on all gastropods.

Bivalve mollusks are totally encased in a shell that is made up of two hinged valves at the
top. The two parts of the shell are joined by an elastic protein hinge ligament, and enormous
adductor muscles between the two valves keep them closed. The upper section of the hinge
ligament is stretched when the shell is closed, while the lower part is compressed. When the
adductor muscles relax, the ligament acts as a spring, allowing the shell to open. Smooth and
striated fibres coexist in the adductor muscles, allowing for sustained ('catch muscle') and fast
shell closing.

Flatworms have an excretory system that consists of a network of tubules that run the
length of the body, with openings to the outside world and surrounding flame cells whose
cilia beat to direct waste fluids concentrated in the tubules out of the body. The system is in
charge of regulating dissolved salts and disposing of nitrogenous wastes. The nervous system
consists of a pair of nerve cords that run the length of the body, with connections between
them, and a big ganglion or cluster of nerves at the worm's anterior end, where photosensory
and chemosensory cells may be concentrated.

Internal Anatomy:
The soft parts are protected by the mantle, which is made up of two thin tissue sheaths
with thicker borders. From the hinge ventral to the pallial line, the two parts of the mantle are
linked to the shell, but their margins are free. It has a sensory function and can close the
valves as a result of unfavourable environmental conditions. It has the ability to control the
flow of water into the body chamber and also has a respiratory function. In scallops, it
regulates the flow of water into and out of the body chamber, as well as the animal's
swimming action. Lamellibranchs are known for their prominent gills, also known as
ctenidia. They are enormous leaf-like organs that are used for breathing as well as filtering
food from water. On either side of the body, there are two pairs of gills. Two pairs of flaps,
known as labial palps, surround the mouth and direct food into it from the front. The foot is
located at the base of the visceral mass. It is a well-developed organ in clams that is used to
dig into the substrate and anchor the animal in place.

The heart, kidneys, reproductive organs, and digestive system are among the internal
organs that make up a gastropod's visceral mass. The upper part of a gastropod's body is
called the mantle. It's the section of the body that always stays inside the shell in shelled
gastropods. The visceral mass is contained within the mantle, whereas calcium carbonate and
lime are produced and secreted externally, hardening into a protective shell in many
gastropod species.
The digestive tract of a gastropod is twisted back on itself in a process known as "torsion."
The anus really lays over a gastropod's head and mouth, resulting in an unbalanced body
mass. They use a muscular, flattened foot on the stomach side of their body to crawl, swim,
attach and burrow.

Flatworms have three embryonic tissue layers that give rise to coverings that cover tissues
(ectoderm), internal tissues (mesoderm), and the digestive system's lining (mesoderm) (from
endoderm). The epidermal tissue, which covers a layer of circular muscle atop a layer of
longitudinal muscle, is made up of a single layer of cells or a layer of fused cells (syncytium).
Mesodermal tissues comprise collagen-containing mesenchymal cells and secretory cells that
produce mucus and other compounds near the surface. Flatworms are acoelomates, which
means that their bodies are solid between the outer surface and the digestive system cavity.

OBJECTIVE:
1. To observe the external and internal anatomy of Gastropoda, Bivalvia and
Platyhelminthes.
METHODS:
1. Every group were given specimens of Gastropoda and Bivalvia.
2. The external anatomy of the bivalve was observed and measured.
3. Picture have been taken and the basic external anatomy of the bivalve were labelled.
4. The bivalve was cut open to expose the internal part. The internal anatomy were
observed and labelled.
5. Step 2-4 were repeated for Gastropoda.

RESULTS

1. LOKAN
 Shell height: 6.5 cm

Shell length: 7.1 cm

 Hinge ligament

Gills

Labial palps

Anterior foot
Visceral mass
retractor muscle

Posterior adductor muscle

Foot

Mantle
Label function
Hinge ligament To hold valves together
Gills Gas exchange and water filtration
Labial palps Used for filtering food
Anterior foot retractor muscle Retract the movement
Mantle Tissue covers to protect internal organs
Foot Helps the clam to burrow into the sand
Posterior adductor muscle Keeps the shell closed
Visceral mass Containing digestive, excretory, and
reproductive organs
2. Squid

Maximum length: 17.8 cm

Fin length: 7.3 cm

mantle length: 12.3 cm

 Stomach
Testes
Inc sac
Ctenidium

Digestive gland
Gills

Siphon retractor muscle

Siphon

Arms

Sucker Tentacle
Label function
Stomach For digestion
Inc sac As defense against predators
Gills Extract oxygen from the water
Siphon retractor muscle Allow movement, direct and create jets
streams of water
Arms Use to hold onto prey
Tentacle To strike out and capture prey
Sucker To latch and take down prey
Siphon Waste, ink and sperm leave
Testes Reproduction
Digestive gland Excretion of metabolic wastes
Ctenidium Increase area available for gas exchange
3. Giant Snail

0.7
cm
1.0
cm

1.8
cm

7.2
cm

3.5 3.7
cm cm
 Hermaphroditic duct

oviduct

ovotestis
Digestive gland

Albumen gland
Tail

Foot
Label function
Foot Helps them move by releasing mucus to
reduce damage to their tissues
Tails Has a remnant of a shell
Oviduct Eggs retain
Hermaphroditic duct Possess egg and sperm gametes for self
fertilize
Ovotestis Secrete testosterone
Digestive gland Digestion, produce digestive fluid and
stores nutrient
Albumen gland Coats egg fertilize
DISCUSSION:
Achatina fulica, also known as Giant African Snail, is classified as Gastropoda in
Phylum Mollusca. They can be found all over the planet because they have dominated not
just terrestrial land but also freshwater and sea. Gastropods have few characteristics that can
help to identify them, which is firstly they have a single univalve shell or no shell at all. Next,
they have a fleshy foot on the bottom of their bodies that helps them move around land and
swim in water. Furthermore, a radula is a hard plate-like structure with teeth that is seen on
several gastropods. Finally, gastropods can be carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, or
detritivores, making them versatile consumers. In addition, one the morphology
characteristics that possesed by the gastropods is torsion that gave some advantages and
disadvantages to the organism. The advantages gained from it is that the mantle cavity
becomes anterior and sensitive components of the anterior end, such as the larva's head and
foot, can be retracted into the mantle cavity when danger approaches. Meanwhile the
disadvantage is during development, their organ was twisted 180° and causes it to lose half of
each of their paired organs. Moreover, the disadvantage of the torsion morphology is the
excretion process is at the region of the head.

Next , polymesoda expansa or mud clam is a Bivalvia class in Phylum Mollusca. The
bivalvia can be distinguished by their two shells that are hinged dorsally, usually with shell
interlocking teeth and always with a horny ligament that connects the two valves along their
dorsal surfaces and acts to force the valves apart . The pallial cavity surrounds the entire body
and is made up of a pair of laterally compressed hinged valves.Bilateral symmetry is also
common in bivalves, both in shell and anatomy, but there are notable exceptions in species
such as scallops and oysters.The advantages that gained from this morphology is the ligament
in bivalvia functional to stabilise the shell by spreading the valves against the surrounding
sediment while the foot probes while the foot helps to move through resistant sediment or at
high speeds through water. However, the morphology of bivalvia also has disadvantages
which is that bivalves lack a head, radula and jaws . Plus, the outermost layer of the shell is
the periostracum, a thin layer composed of horny conchiolin that is easily abraded.
Lastly, the squid in Phylum Mollusca is classified as Cephalopoda. All of them
possess at least eight arms that are attached directly to their heads and a parrot-like beak.
Cephalopods are also proved to be intelligent mollusc, with relatively large brains They have
three hearts, the two of them are functional to pump blood to the gills and the other one is to
pump blood throughout the body. The morphology of Cephalopoda gave them advantages
such as they have camouflage which helps them to disguise by changing the colour and
texture of their skin in a short time. In addition, Cephalopoda also have disadvantages which
is they only have a thin remnant of shell inside the, because they tend to forfeit more of its
heavy protective shell in order to move faster.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, we succeeded in completing the experiment and was able to achieve

the objective that we aimed for which is to observed the external and internal anatomy of
gastropoda, bivalvia and platyhelminthes. External of bivalve mollusks are totally encased in
a shell that is made up of two hinged valves at the top. The valves are composed mostly of
calcium carbonate and have three layers; the inner or nacreous layer, the middle or prismatic
layer that forms most of the shell, and the outer layer or periostacum, a brown leathery layer
which is often missing through abrasion or weathering in older animals. While the bodies of
most gastropods are made up of numerous fundamental components. For platyhelminthes,
flatworms have an excretory system that consists of a network of tubules that run the length
of the body, with openings to the outside world and surrounding flame cells whose cilia beat
to direct waste fluids concentrated in the tubules out of the body.

For internal of bivalve, it has a simple head without eyes or radula. The muscular foot
typically has no sole, is flattened laterally and is used for general locomotion. Bivalves have
just a single pair of gills. The mantle is large and often fused at the edges to form inhalent and
exhalent siphons. These structures circulate currents of water needed for feeding and
breathing. In shelled gastropods, it's the part of the body that always remains inside the shell.
Internally, the mantle contains the visceral mass, The animal's internal organs, which include
a digestive gland, lung, heart and reproductive organs, are located within the mantle cavity.
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