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Structured Inquiry Search — preview

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• Kingdom Animalia
• Class Gastropoda
• Order Archaeogastropoda

• Information
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• Specimens
• Classification

By John B. Burch

Kingdom: Animalia

Class: Gastropoda

Order: Archaeogastropoda

Members of this Order

These primitive mollusks have a linear series of perforations for the exhalant mantle cavity currents. Slits in the mantle and shell facilitate the excurrent water leaving the mantle cavity. This is a primitive solution to the sanitation problems caused by torsion (having the mantle cavity with the anus, nephridiopores, and gonopores located over the head).

Genetic diversity. The shells in any population of Umbonium are highly polymorphic.

Commonly called "button shells" because of their size and colors, these primitive mollusks inhabit sandy littoral habitats in the Indo-Pacific. Note the multispiral operculum.

For More Information

Find Archaeogastropoda information at

• Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

John B. Burch (author), Mollusk Division, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.

To cite this page: Burch, J. 2001. "Archaeogastropoda" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 23, 2012 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Archaeogastropoda.html

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
the Homeland Foundation and the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
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