Classification

Second largest invertebrate phylum, Presence of mantle, radula and a ventral

Phylum: Mollusca flattened muscular foot; shell may or may not be present

Single symmetrical shell covers the dorsal surface; pallial groove present on
Monoplacophora
ventral side contains mouth, anus and 5-6 pairs of monopectinate gills

Shell made of transverse plates covers the dorsal surface; pallial groove present
Polyplacophora
on ventral side contains mouth, anus and numerous bipectinate gills

Worm-shaped; typical molluscan shell, mantle and foot absent; cutaneous

Aplacophora
respiration; hermaphrodite
Class

Body with large mantle cavity enclosed within elongated cylindrical tube-like
Scaphopoda shell; thread-like tentacles called captacula present; cutaneous respiration;
trocophore and veliger larva stages

Head projects to form prehensile tentacles or arms; capable of swimming; shell

Cephalopoda often reduced and internal or absent; cutaneous respiration or via ctenidium;
direct development

Laterally compressed body; Shell has two oval convex valves; often capable of
Bivalvia
producing pearl; bipectinate gills present; trocophore and veliger larva stages

Asymmetrical spiral shell; Body shows torsion and capable of retracting within
Gastropoda shell; cephalization present; gills may be present (mono- or bi- pectinate) or
absent
 Monoplacophora

• Deep-water species
• Single symmetrical shell with varied shapes, has apex directed anteriorly
• Flat creeping foot
• Pallial groove separates foot from mantle edge, contains mouth, anus, 5-6 pairs of monopectinate gills,
nephridiopores and 8 pairs of pedal retractor muscles
• Respiration- Ctenidial respiration
• Digestive system
 mouth has anterior ciliated palp-like structures formed by preoral fold or velum and posterior postoral
tentacles
 Subradula organ- a sense organ to detect presence of food
• Excretory system
 6 pairs of nephridia
 all open in coelomic cavity via nephrostome, except first pair
• Circulatory system
 Gills NephridiaAuriclesVentricles
 2 auricles and 2 ventricles
• Nervous system Neopilina
 Circumoesophageal nerve ring
 3 pairs of nerve cords innervating subradula, foot (pedal nerve cords) and visceral organ & mantle
(visceral nerve cords)
• Reproductive system
 Sexes separate
 2 pairs of gonads in middle of body that opens into nephridia via gonoducts
 Polyplacophora

• Adhers to rocks
• Shell has 8 overlapping transverse plates
• Mantle extends beyond the periphery of shell to form girdle, may be covered with scales, bristles or
calcareous spicules
• Broad flat foot
• 2 pallial grooves that serve as canals for water currect, has multiple bipectinate gills
• Respiration- Ctenidial respiration
• Digestive system-
 Buccal cavity chitin-lined
 Subradula present
• Circulatory system: Gills AuriclesVentriclesAorta
• Excretory system
 1 pair of nephridia

• Nervous system
 similar to monoplacophora
Chiton
 Sense organs esthetes of undefined function present, connected to shell plates
• Reproductive system
 Sexes separate
 single gonad with 2 gonoducts and 2 gonopores open in pallial groove
 Larva- Trocophore (veliger stage absent)
 Aplacophora

• Worm-shaped
• Typical molluscan shell, mantle and foot absent, radula may or may not be present
• Integument has scales or spicules
• Single midventral pallial groove
• Posterior end has a cavity in which anus opens and may contain gills
• Respiration- Cutaneous respiration or adaptive gills
• Reproductive system: Hermaphrodite

Solenogaster
Scaphopoda
• Burrowing marine molluscs
• Shell is elongated cylindrical tube with both ends open
• Body is elongated with large mantle cavity running throughout the tube, head and foot both projects
through anterior aperture
• Head has proboscis with mouth and two lobes bearing threadlike tentacles called
captacula with adhesive knobs
• Foot is cone shaped and used for burrowing
• Respiration- Cutaneous respiration or pulmonary respiration, gills are absent
• Circulatory system- Heart is absent, sinuses present
• Sensory organs absent
• Excretory system- A pair of nephridia opens in mantle cavity near anus
• Reproductive system: Single gonad, opens in nephridia

Dentalium
 Cephalopoda
Nautilus

• Nautiloids (Nautilus) and Coleoids (Cuttlefish, Squids, Octopus)

• Bottom dwellers with swimming nature
• Head has prehensile arms arranged in circle
• Shell
 on outer side only in fossils and Nautilus; coiled with internal chambers separated by transverse septa;
tissue from visceral mass called siphuncle extends into the chambers that secrete gas to create buoyancy
 reduced and internal in cuttlefish and squids
 absent in octopus
• Circular and radial muscles create pressure in mantle cavity that causes water to eject out from funnel
leading to movement
• Ink sac near rectum secretes black fluid containing melanin
• Bioluminescent; chromatophores present
• Respiration- Cutaneous or Ctenidial respiration, Nautiloids have 4 pairs of gills and Coleoids have 2 pairs
• Digestive system
 Raptorial feeding helped by tentacles or arms
 Nautilus has 38 tentacles; squids and cuttlefish have 8 arms and 2 tentacles with stalked adhesive discs
lined by hooks; octopus has 8 arms with stalkless hookless adhesive suckers
 Beak-like jaw in buccal cavity Squid
 Salivary glands of coleoids can secrete poison
• Excretory system
 Nautiloids have 4 nephridia and Coleoids have 2
 Nephridia has renal sac that opens into coelom via renopericardial canal
 Cephalopoda
(contd.)
• Circulatory system- closed
Nervous system
 Highly developed
 Ganglia fused to form brain that encircles oesophagus and encased in cartilagenous cranium
 Other ganglia- pedal ganglia for funnel, branchial ganglia for tentacles, visceral ganglia for visceral organs
and mantle, and stellate ganglia for motor neurons
 Eyes well developed
 Statocysts present near brain
Ospharadia only in Nautilus
Suckers have tactile and chemoreceptor cells
• Reproductive system
 Sexes separate
Single gonad- testis opens in seminal vesicle via vas deferens, sperms enclosed in spermatophores stored
in Needham’s sac that opens in mantle cavity; ovary opens in oviductal gland via oviduct
 Hectocotylized arm in male serves as copulatory organ to insert spermatophores in female’s mantle
cavity
 Development is direct

Cuttle fish
Octopus
 Bivalvia Unio
(Pelecypoda)
• Clams, Oysters and Mussels
• Majorly sedentary and soft bottom burrowers
• Laterally compressed body
• Pearl formation seen (discussed later)
• Shell
 2 oval convex valves with round anterior end and projecting posterior end
 Valves joined to each other via hinge ligament
 Umbo- raised part of shell representing the oldest part and surrounded by concentric lines of growth
 attached to mantle via 3 anterior ( protractor, retractor, adductor) and 2 posterior muscles (retractor and
adductor)
 Hinge teeth- blade like projections near umbo and hinge
 Histological layers- Periostracum, Prismatic and Nacreous layer (discussed later)
• Mantle
 2 fleshy lobes that join each other to form dorsal exhalent siphon and ventral inhalent siphon
 Each lobe has 3 layers- outer columnar epithelium having nacre secreting cells, middle fibrous connective
tissue and inner ciliated mucous-secreting epithelial layer
• Foot
 Laterally compressed and wedge-like or blade-like
 Movement because of anterior & posterior retractor muscles, pedal muscles and blood pressure
 Bysuss apparatus- present near foot, secretion hardens when in contact with water, helps in anchoring
• Respiration- Ctenidial respiration by bipectinate gills which show several modifications (discussed later),
gills also help in feeding and serve as brood pouches
• Digestive system- basic features present but stomach shows modification depending on feeding behaviour
• Excretory system- A pair of nephridia
• Reproductive system: sexes separate, gonads open either in nephridia or directly in mantle cavity
 Gastropoda
• Largest class
• Aquatic and terrestrial (only molluscs with terrestrial habitat)
• Has three major groups- Prosobranchs (aquatic/benthic), Opisthobranchs (shell absent) and Pulmonates
(terrestrial)
• Characteristic evolutionary developments- cephalization, development of shell that acts like a retreat,
torsion and detorsion (discussed later)
• Most have shell which is asymmetrically spiral
• Broad ventral foot
• Distinct head with 1-2 pairs of tentacles
• Visceral mass is coiled, Gut is U-shaped
• Nervous system: ganglia, nerve ring, commissures and connectives present but is twisted
• Veliger larva
• Sense organs: 1 pair of eyes, Chemosensory rhinophores on tentacles, magnetoreceptors sensitive to
magnetic field

Prosobranchs: 2 subgroups

•Archaegastropods •Meso- & Neogastropods

 Attached to substrate by left pedal retractor
 1 pair of bipectinate gills
 1 pair of nephridia
 Gametes released by right nephridia
 Monopectinate single left gill
 Soft bottom dwellers
 Proboscis present
 Gametes released by right nephridia which is
lengthened during copulation
 Veliger larva or direct development
•Pulmonates (e.g. Helix)
 Gills lost and secondary gills have evolved
Mantle cavity converted into lung to aid pulmonary respiration
 Radula well developed with large number of teeth
 Hermaphrodite and shows copulation
 Direct development

• Opisthobranchs
 90% detorsion (discussed later)
 shell, mantle cavity and gills lost in many
 Protandric or simultaneous hermaphrodite
 Veliger larva