Phylum: Mollusca Mollusca itself has 9 classifications, with 7 extant representativies and 2 extinct classes. Although the phylum Mollusca are made up of a set of incredibly diverse animals, there are certain characteristics which aid to classify them. The Animal Kingdom contains these seven Phyla: Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, and Chordata. The major classes of living mollusks include gastropods, bivalves, and cephalopods (Figure below). There are approximately 160,000 living species and probably 70,000 extinct species of mollusks. Bivalves include clams, oysters, mollusks, clams, and many other affiliated shell families. Mollusks may be primitively segmented, but all but the monoplacophorans characteristically lack segmentation and have bodies that are to some degree spirally twisted (e.g. There are approximately 160,000 living species and probably 70,000 extinct species of mollusks. Mollusks are subdivided into seven classes with most species found in three of those classes: Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Cephalopoda. They are typically divided into ten classes, of which two are extinct. BIVALVES The current 7 extant classes include the following. 1 / Gastropods are single shells coiled around a center axis. Gastropods include snails. Gastropods include snails. torsion). Gastropods, like slugs and snails, can live on land or in the water. The three main types of mollusks are gastropods, bivalves, and cephalopods. Bivalves: A class of marine and freshwater mollusks with compressed bodies within a shell. Gastropods make up the largest class of mollusks, and they include both snails and slugs. The Phylum Mollusca is estimated to include 100,000 species. Whether you are looking to discover mollusks characteristics, classification of mollusca and/or information about all types of mollusks, this article is for you. Mollusks are classified by number of shells or foot shape. GASTROPODS This class has more than 60 000 unknown species, making it the largest. The current 7 extant classes include the following. The bivalves have sensory cells enabling them to distinguish touch, chemical changes, and light. Mollusks refer to are a large group of soft-bodied invertebrate animals. GASTROPODS This class has more than 60 000 unknown species, making it the largest. The study of mollusks is called malacology (mal-uh-col-oh-gee) which means “the study of animals with soft bodies.” The seven living classes of mollusks are Aplacophora, Bivalva, Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Monoplacophora, Polyplacophora and Scaphopoda. They are typically divided into ten classes, of which two are extinct. Types of Mollusks. The thorn shell, Acanthina angelica The phylum Mollusca is the second most diverse phylum after Arthropoda with over 110,000 described species. Mollusks are classified by number of shells or foot shape. The smallest mollusks are snails that are microscopic in size. 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