The worm-shaped, shell-less Caudofoveata is one of the least known groups of molluscs. As early-branching molluscs, the lack of high-quality genomes hinders our understanding of their evolution and ecology. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale

Caudofoveates are benthic organisms that reside in the deep waters of continental slopes in the world. They are considered to be a group that is of phylogenetic and ecological importance for the phylum Mollusca. However, they remain poorly studied. In

The almost simultaneous emergence of major animal phyla during the early Cambrian shaped modern animal biodiversity. Reconstructing evolutionary relationships among such closely spaced branches in the animal tree of life has proven to be a major challenge,

The mollusks' singular foot is examined from an evolutionary perspective, starting with a peri-oral pedal shield in Caudofoveata. It evolves into a ventral pedal groove in Solenogastres, further developing into a sucker-crawling structure in Testaria,