Mollusca: General characters of Phylum Mollusca The name

General characters of Phylum Mollusca The name Mollusca (in Latin mollis = soft), was first used by the French Zoologist, Cuvier in 1798 to describe squids and cuttlefish, animals whose shell is reduced and internal or entirely absent. It was only later that the true affinities between squids and multiform and other molluscs such as snails and bivalves were fully recongnised. Next to arthopods from biodiversity perspective, molluscs comprise the largest group of species. Over 160,000 species ... Learn about the characteristics, classification and examples of Mollusca , the second largest phylum of animals. Find out how they respire, feed, reproduce and have a blue or green blood. Crawl and dive into the world of the second-largest phylum in the animal kingdom. Differentiate characteristics, adaptations, and habitats of some of the famous and notorious types of mollusks. Moreover, this article discusses less well-known classes of mollusks to deepen our appreciation for these animals. Mollusca Definition Phylum Mollusca is the group of animals having bilaterally symmetrical coelomate soft type bodies with a well-developed nervous system showing cephalization, foot, dorsal mantle, and the visceral mass. Characteristics of Mollusca Some common characteristic features of the phylum Mollusca are: Bilaterally symmetrical, unsegmented, and soft body. All animals in this group are triploblastic. The true coelom is present in the body which is reduced to small spaces surrounding ...