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Proceedings. Biological Sciences May 2019Recent molecular phylogenetic investigations strongly supported the placement of the shell-less, worm-shaped aplacophoran molluscs (Solenogastres and Caudofoveata) and...
Recent molecular phylogenetic investigations strongly supported the placement of the shell-less, worm-shaped aplacophoran molluscs (Solenogastres and Caudofoveata) and chitons (Polyplacophora) in a clade called Aculifera, which is the sister taxon of all other molluscs. Thus, understanding the evolutionary history of aculiferan molluscs is important for understanding early molluscan evolution. In particular, fundamental questions about evolutionary relationships within Aplacophora have long been unanswered. Here, we supplemented the paucity of available data with transcriptomes from 25 aculiferans and conducted phylogenomic analyses on datasets with up to 525 genes and 75 914 amino acid positions. Our results indicate that aplacophoran taxonomy requires revision as several traditionally recognized groups are non-monophyletic. Most notably, Cavibelonia, the solenogaster taxon defined by hollow sclerites, is polyphyletic, suggesting parallel evolution of hollow sclerites in multiple lineages. Moreover, we describe Apodomenia enigmatica sp. nov. , a bizarre new species that appears to be a morphological intermediate between Solenogastres and Caudofoveata. This animal is not a missing link, however; molecular and morphological studies show that it is a derived solenogaster that lacks a foot, mantle cavity and radula. Taken together, these results shed light on the evolutionary history of Aplacophora and reveal a surprising degree of morphological plasticity within the group.
Topics: Animals; Mollusca; Phylogeny; Polyplacophora; Transcriptome
PubMed: 31064303
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0115 -
Current Biology : CB Oct 2023Underlying all animal behaviors, from the simplest reflexive reactions to the more complex cognitive reasoning and social interaction, are nervous systems uniquely...
Underlying all animal behaviors, from the simplest reflexive reactions to the more complex cognitive reasoning and social interaction, are nervous systems uniquely adapted to bodies, environments, and challenges of different animal species. Coleoid cephalopods - octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish - are widely recognized as the most behaviorally complex invertebrates and provide exciting opportunities for studying the neural control of behaviour. These unusual molluscs evolved over 400 million years ago from slow-moving armored forms to active predators of coastal and open ocean ecosystems. In this primer we will discuss how, during cephalopod evolution, the relatively simple ganglion-based molluscan nervous system has been extensively transformed to control the complex bodies and process extensive visual, tactile, and chemical sensory inputs, and summarize some recent findings about their fascinating behaviors.
Topics: Animals; Cephalopoda; Ecosystem; Mollusca; Invertebrates; Octopodiformes; Nervous System; Decapodiformes
PubMed: 37875088
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.094 -
Fish & Shellfish Immunology Sep 2015
Topics: Animals; Aquaculture; Host-Parasite Interactions; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Mollusca
PubMed: 25980797
DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2015.05.015 -
Progress in Lipid Research 1982
Review
Topics: Animals; Bivalvia; Decapodiformes; Fatty Acids; Glycerides; Hydrocarbons; Lipids; Mollusca; Ostreidae; Phospholipids; Plasmalogens; Sphingolipids
PubMed: 7051043
DOI: 10.1016/0163-7827(82)90002-9 -
Peptides Feb 2008FMRFamide is one of the well-known peptides studied within the phylum Mollusca. It was first isolated from the clam Macrocallista nimbosa during the end of the 1960s.... (Review)
Review
FMRFamide is one of the well-known peptides studied within the phylum Mollusca. It was first isolated from the clam Macrocallista nimbosa during the end of the 1960s. Since then, a number of reports related to FMRFamide have been published from different experimental approaches, revealing that it and its related peptides (FaRPs) are implicated in a variety of physiological processes. As this year is the 30th anniversary since its discovery, this review focuses on diverse findings related to both FMRFamide and FaRPs in the phylum Mollusca.
Topics: Animals; FMRFamide; Mollusca; Neuropeptides
PubMed: 18241957
DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2007.09.025 -
TheScientificWorldJournal 2012The geographical distribution of the Rissoidae in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea was compiled and is up-to-date until July 2011. All species were classified... (Review)
Review
The geographical distribution of the Rissoidae in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea was compiled and is up-to-date until July 2011. All species were classified according to their mode of larval development (planktotrophic and nonplanktotrophic), and bathymetrical zonation (shallow species--those living between the intertidal and 50 m depth, and deep species--those usually living below 50 m depth). 542 species of Rissoidae are presently reported to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to 33 genera. The Mediterranean Sea is the most diverse site, followed by Canary Islands, Caribbean, Portugal, and Cape Verde. The Mediterranean and Cape Verde Islands are the sites with higher numbers of endemic species, with predominance of Alvania spp. in the first site, and of Alvania and Schwartziella at Cape Verde. In spite of the large number of rissoids at Madeira archipelago, a large number of species are shared with Canaries, Selvagens, and the Azores, thus only about 8% are endemic to the Madeira archipelago. Most of the 542-rissoid species that live in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean are shallow species (323), 110 are considered as deep species, and 23 species are reported in both shallow and deep waters. There is a predominance of nonplanktotrophs in islands, seamounts, and at high and medium latitudes. This pattern is particularly evident in the genera Crisilla, Manzonia, Onoba, Porosalvania, Schwartziella, and Setia. Planktotrophic species are more abundant in the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea. The results of the analysis of the probable directions of faunal flows support the patterns found by both the Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity and the geographical distribution. Four main source areas for rissoids emerge: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Canaries/Madeira archipelagos, and the Cape Verde archipelago. We must stress the high percentage of endemics that occurs in the isolated islands of Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Cape Verde archipelago and also the Azores, thus reinforcing the legislative protective actions that the local governments have implemented in these islands during the recent years.
Topics: Animals; Atlantic Ocean; Demography; Genetic Variation; Mediterranean Region; Mollusca
PubMed: 22693430
DOI: 10.1100/2012/164890 -
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Jun 2004In the course of a trip to Ecuador I had the opportunity of collecting topotypic specimens of the following nominal species of pulmonate molluscs: Biomphalaria cousini... (Review)
Review
In the course of a trip to Ecuador I had the opportunity of collecting topotypic specimens of the following nominal species of pulmonate molluscs: Biomphalaria cousini Paraense, 1966; Planorbis equatorius Cousin, 1887; P. canonicus Cousin, 1887; Lymnaea cousini Jousseaume, 1887 and P. boetzkesi Miller, 1879. Additional findings were: Helisoma trivolvis (Say, 1817), Biomphalaria peregrina (Orbigny 1835), Drepanotrema anatinum (Orbigny, 1835), D. kermatoides (Orbigny, 1835), D. lucidum (Pfeiffer, 1839), D. surinamense (Clessin, 1884), Lymnaea columella Say, 1817 and Physa acuta Draparnaud, 1805. P. boetzkesi and P. canonicus are considered junior synonyms of Gyraulus hindsianus (Dunker, 1848) and Biomphalaria peregrina (Orbigny, 1835), respectively.
Topics: Animals; Ecuador; Mollusca
PubMed: 15322623
DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762004000400003 -
Current Biology : CB Aug 2013
Topics: Animals; Aquaculture; Mollusca; Nacre
PubMed: 23968917
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.05.042 -
Current Biology : CB Jul 2012
Topics: Animals; Fresh Water; Humans; Mollusca; Phylogeny; Research; Shellfish
PubMed: 22789994
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.05.039 -
Biological Reviews of the Cambridge... May 2017The phylum Mollusca is highly speciose, and is the largest phylum in the marine realm. The great majority of molluscs are shelled, including nearly all bivalves, most... (Review)
Review
The phylum Mollusca is highly speciose, and is the largest phylum in the marine realm. The great majority of molluscs are shelled, including nearly all bivalves, most gastropods and some cephalopods. The fabulous and diverse colours and patterns of molluscan shells are widely recognised and have been appreciated for hundreds of years by collectors and scientists alike. They serve taxonomists as characters that can be used to recognise and distinguish species, however their function for the animal is sometimes less clear and has been the focus of many ecological and evolutionary studies. Despite these studies, almost nothing is known about the evolution of colour in molluscan shells. This review summarises for the first time major findings of disparate studies relevant to the evolution of shell colour in Mollusca and discusses the importance of colour, including the effects of visual and non-visual selection, diet and abiotic factors. I also summarise the evidence for the heritability of shell colour in some taxa and recent efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning synthesis of shell colours. I describe some of the main shell pigments found in Mollusca (carotenoids, melanin and tetrapyrroles, including porphyrins and bile pigments), and their durability in the fossil record. Finally I suggest that pigments appear to be distributed in a phylogenetically relevant manner and that the synthesis of colour is likely to be energetically costly.
Topics: Animal Shells; Animals; Color; Ecology; Fossils; Mollusca; Pigmentation
PubMed: 27005683
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12268