Monoplacophora
Living fossils from the ocean deep
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# of Described Species: 20 First Appearance: Earliest Cambrian Habitats: Deep-sea Shapes: Limpet-like Feeding Types: Detritivores |
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# of Described Species: 20 First Appearance: Earliest Cambrian Habitats: Deep-sea Shapes: Limpet-like Feeding Types: Detritivores |
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Once known only from Paleozoic
fossils, monoplacophorans were rediscovered last century in one of the most important discoveries
in modern biology. Since that first recent species was discovered in 1952, Neopilina galathaea, around 20
other species have also been identified.
One reason for having evaded detection for so long, including as fossil since the Paleozoic, is that they are generally found in the deep ocean. Finding them has been quite a boon to malacologists, however, as monoplacophorans are often thought to be among the most primitive of mollusks. Indeed, many researchers believe that monoplacophoran-like ancestors gave rise to the rest of Mollusca. |
Modern systematic research has borne out the idea of Monoplacophora being the basal member of the
Mollusca clade. Their morphology, then, proves to be remarkably important in understanding
what the first mollusks may have looked like as well as how the other major groups such as bivalves and
gastropods may have evolved. Investigate the page on their morphology, below, to learn more.
As monoplacophorans are only known recently from a few species and these seem to be relatively similar, most of our knowledge of the group comes from fossils. Click on the Fossil Record button to learn more. |
