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Mollusca

Snails, clams, mussels, squids, octopi, chitons, and tusk shells

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Loligo pealei
taxon links [up-->]Gastropoda [up-->]Cephalopoda [up-->]Bivalvia [up-->]Polyplacophora [down<--]Bilateria Interpreting the tree
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This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.

The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.

example of a tree diagram

You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.

For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.

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Containing group: Bilateria

Other Names for Mollusca

References

Beesley, P. L., G. J. B. Ross, and A. Wells (eds.) 1998. Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia, Vol 5. Part A and B. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

Haszprunar, G. 2000. Is the Aplacophora monophyletic? A cladisitic point of view. American Malacological Bulletin 15:115-130.

Medina, M. and A. G. Collins. 2003. The role of molecules in understanding molluscan evolution. Pages 14-44 in: Molecular Systematics and Phylogeography of Mollusks. C. Lydeard and D. R. Lindberg, eds. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Passamaneck, Y. J., C. Schander, and K. M. Halanycha. 2004. Investigation of molluscan phylogeny using large-subunit and small-subunit nuclear rRNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32(1):25-38.

Rosenberg, G. 1992. The Encyclopedia of Seashells. The Five Mile Press, New York.

Runnegar, B. and J. J. Pojeta. 1985. Origin and diversification of the Mollusca. Pages 1-57 in The Mollusca, E. R. Trueman and M. R. Clarke, eds. Academic Press, New York.

Sigwart, J. D. and M. D. Sutton. 2007. Deep molluscan phylogeny: synthesis of palaeontological and neontological data. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 274(1624):2413-2419.

Steiner, G. and H.Dreyer. 2003. Molecular phylogeny of Scaphopoda (Mollusca) inferred from 18S rDNA sequences: support for a Scaphopoda-Cephalopoda clade. Zoologica Scripta 32(4):343-356.

Taylor, J. D., ed. 1996. Origin and Evolutionary Radiation of the Mollusca. Centenary Symposium of the Malacological Society of London. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 392 pp.

Vermeij, G. J. 1993. A Natural History of Shells. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Information on the Internet

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Lunatia
Acknowledgements Gray Museum Slide Collection
Copyright © 1995 Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole
Scientific Name Placopecten magellanicus (top), Polyplacophora (bottom)
Acknowledgements Gray Museum Slide Collection
Copyright © Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole
Loligo pealei
Scientific Name Loligo pealei
Creator Photograph by David Remsen
Acknowledgements Gray Museum Slide Collection
Copyright © 1995 Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole
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Citing this page:

Tree of Life Web Project. 1995. Mollusca. Snails, clams, mussels, squids, octopi, chitons, and tusk shells. Version 01 January 1995 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Mollusca/2488/1995.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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This page is a Tree of Life Branch Page.

Each ToL branch page provides a synopsis of the characteristics of a group of organisms representing a branch of the Tree of Life. The major distinction between a branch and a leaf of the Tree of Life is that each branch can be further subdivided into descendent branches, that is, subgroups representing distinct genetic lineages.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

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