Caudofoveata

The front part of a Schildfüßers ( Falcidens sp.). Stained with osmium tetroxide and electron microscopy in resin embedded.

• Chaetodermatida

The Schildfüßer ( Caudofoveata, also referred to as Chaetodermomorpha ) are, depending on the system, a class or a subclass of the molluscs ( Mollusca ).

The animals live in the top layer of soft seabeds. They are shorter than 3 cm, with few exceptions. The head with the radula of animals thereby is in the seabed while the rear end with the gills in the free water projects. The ciliated lamellae of the gills are protected by long Aragonitnadeln.

They owe their name to a leg shield around the mouth, which they use for digging. This shield is equipped with various sense organs and thus also serves as a sensory panel. Your food they found in the sediment consists of detritus ( degradation products ), foraminifera ( Foraminifera ) and diatoms ( Bacillariophyta ).

Schildfüßer are dioecious and release their gametes (eggs and sperm ) from the open water, where fertilization takes place. Very little is known about the development of the animals.

We distinguish at least three families ( Chaetodermatidae, Limifossoridae, Prochaetodermatidae ) with about nine genera and about 60 species.