The words mollusc and mollusk are both derived from the French mollusque, which originated from the post-classical Latin mollusca, from mollis, soft, first used by J. Jonston (Historiæ Naturalis, 1650) to describe a … Meer weergeven

Because of the great range of anatomical diversity among molluscs, many textbooks start the subject of molluscan anatomy by describing … Meer weergeven

Opinions vary about the number of classes of molluscs; for example, the table below shows seven living classes, and two extinct ones. … Meer weergeven

Fossil record
Good evidence exists for the appearance of gastropods (e.g., Aldanella), cephalopods Meer weergeven

The most universal features of the body structure of molluscs are a mantle with a significant body cavity used for breathing and excretion, and the organization of the nervous … Meer weergeven

Estimates of accepted described living species of molluscs vary from 50,000 to a maximum of 120,000 species. The total number of … Meer weergeven

Feeding
Most molluscs are herbivorous, grazing on algae or filter feeders. For those grazing, two feeding strategies are predominant. Some feed on microscopic, filamentous algae, often using their radula as a 'rake' to comb up … Meer weergeven