Antalis entalis (Scaphopoda: Dentaliida: Dentaliidae); empty shells washed up after storms; Swanage Beach, England.
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| Scaphopoda | ||
| Mollusca | Scaphopoda |
Conchifera
└─► |
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None |
Mollusca |
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Abbreviated Dendrogram
Mollusca
├─Aculifera
└─Conchifera
╞═Tryblidiida (Monoplacophora)
│ └─Cephalopoda
╘═Helcionelloida
╞═Rostroconchia
│ └─Scaphopoda
├─Bivalvia
└─Gastropoda
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Contents
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Antalis entalis (Scaphopoda: Dentaliida: Dentaliidae); empty shells washed up after storms; Swanage Beach, England. Photo © BioImages Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution Share Alike via Encylopedia of Life. |
The Scaphopods are called tooth or tusk shells because some types resemble miniature elephant tusks. These little-known molluscs are actually relict survivors of a more diverse Paleozoic group known as Rostroconchs. Where they belong on the molluscan evolutionary tree is uncertain; they have been variously grouped with bivalves and cephalopods (it is hard to imagine two more diverse clades of molluscs), such is the lack of consensus in molluscan phylogeny. MAK120614
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