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Article
Scaphopoda
Article By:
Shimek, Ronald L. Reef Safe Enterprises, Inc., Wilsall, Montana.
Last reviewed:August 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.604500
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- Scaphopoda, published June 2014:Download PDF
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A class of shelled marine mollusks, comprising two orders, Dentaliida and Gadilida. The class Scaphopoda in the phylum Mollusca is wholly marine; it is common and probably most diverse in the deep sea, and poorly represented in brackish, littoral, or estuarine habitats. Scaphopods are characterized by a tapering tubular shell with two apertures: the large ventral aperture that the foot extends out of and a small dorsal aperture. The tapering shells found in members of the order Dentaliida give the class its common names of tusk or tooth shells (see illustration). Adult scaphopods range in length from about 3 to 150 mm (0.12 to 6 in.). The shell consists of aragonite arranged in three or four layers. See also: Aragonite; Mollusca
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