Monoplacophora Examples

Monoplacophora is a polyphyletic class of molluscs that lives at sea bottoms. They are univalved and untorted molluscs that are not related to gastropods. Here, let us learn about Monoplacophora with examples.

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What Are Monoplacophora?

Monoplacophora, which means “bearing one plate,” is a polyphyletic superclass of molluscs that formerly lived at the bottom of the deep sea. Its shell resembles a cap.

Members of the Monoplacophora class have an undivided arching shell, a broad flat foot, serially repeated pairs of gills and foot-retractor muscles. Despite being dioecious, nothing more is known about their embryology. Until 1952, this group of molluscs was only known through fossils.

Fossil Records

The first undeniable molluscs were monoplacophorans, which were discovered in rocks from the earliest Cambrian period. The group was very diversified during the Paleozoic, according to the fossil record. Later Paleozoic forms are more frequently discovered in deeper waters with soft, muddy sea floors than Cambrian forms, which primarily lived in shallow seas.

The recent monoplacophorans comprise a unique clade and it is simple to distinguish between their characteristics and those of the other extant molluscan groups. Monoplacophorans are untorted, univalved (but not gastropodal) and limpet-shaped. The characteristics that set some Paleozoic monoplacophorans apart from torted gastropods and vice versa are amenable to different interpretations.

See more: Pila globosa (Apple Snail) – Diagram and Description

Monoplacophora Examples

The majority of monoplacophorans are aquatic and all reside at considerable depths. There are several extant species under the class Monoplacophora. Some examples of Monoplacophora are given below:

  • Laevipilina antarctica
  • Micropilina minuta
  • Monoplacophorus zenkevitchi
  • Adenopilina adenensis
  • Neopilina bruuni

All these extant monoplacophoran species belong to the order Tryblidiida. It is the only representative of living monoplacophorans with 37 known species. The extinct examples of monoplacophorans are:

  • Knightoconus antarcticus
  • Crytolites spp
  • Kirengella spp

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1

What are gastropods?

The word gastropod, which means “stomach foot” in Greek, denotes the peculiar anatomy of snails. Slugs and snails from freshwater, ocean and land are included in the class Gastropoda under the phylum Mollusca.
Q2

What are limpets?

Limpets are aquatic snails with a strong muscular foot and conical shell. They are included under the class Gastropoda. The common name limpet has very little taxonomic significance and it is applied to all snails apart from true limpets that have a simple conical shell.
Q3

Describe the Paleozoic era.

Paleozoic is one of the earliest geological eras with six geologic time periods. Cambrian is the earliest period of the Paleozoic era. The other five are – Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, Permian and Carboniferous.