Class Scaphopoda:
Class Scaphopoda have following unique characteristics:
Filter Feeders:
Scaphopods are primarily filter feeders. They collect microscopic organisms, such as small plankton and detritus, for feeding.
Burrowing Lifestyle:
These organisms are primarily benthic and inhabit marine environments, ranging from shallow coastal waters to the deep sea.
Limited Mobility:
Due to their burrowing lifestyle, Scaphopods exhibit limited mobility.
Shell Shape:
Scaphopods have a tubular or tusk-like shell that is open at both ends. The shell is typically elongated and conical in shape, resembling an elephant’s tusk or a miniature elephant tusk. The shell is composed of calcium carbonate.
Foot:
They possess a muscular foot, which is used for burrowing into sediments. The foot is often elongated and adapted for anchoring within the substrate.
Absence of Radula:
Scaphopods lack a radula; instead they have a specialized tentacle-like structure called a captacula, which is used for capturing and manipulating food particles.
Reproduction:
Scaphopods are mostly dioecious and fertilization occurs externally in the water column.
Examples of class Scaphopoda :
| Scientific Name | Common Name(s) |
| Dentalium spp. | Tusk Shells |
| Gadila fusca | Stout Tusk Shell |
| Dentalium entalis | Elephant Tusk Shell |
| Dentalium octangulatum | Eight-ribbed Tusk Shell |
| Cadulus tolmiei | Tolmie’s Tusk Shell |
| Antalis entalis | Mediterranean Tusk Shell |
| Dentalium vulgare | Common Tusk Shell |
| Rhabdus rectius | Straight Tusk Shell |
| Fustiaria rubescens | Red Tusk Shell |
List of Mollusca classes with examples
Phylum Mollusca is classified into seven major classes namely:
- Class Gastropoda
- Class Bivalvia
- Class Cephalopoda (intelligent marine animals)
- Class Polyplacophora (chitons)
- Class Scaphopoda (tusk shells)
- Class Monoplacophora
- Class Aplacophora (worm-like mollusks)