Aplacophora

Epimenia verrucosa

• Furchenfüßer ( Solenogastres )
• Schildfüßer ( Caudofoveata )

As Wurmmollusken or Aplacophora is traditionally a group of worm- shaped and shell-less molluscs referred to, which includes both the class of Schildfüßer ( Caudofoveata ) and the Furchenfüßer ( Solenogastres ).

Body shape and shell

It is not clear whether the animals of these two classes have their shell, which is present in all other molluscs, changed the course of evolution, or whether they had never. However, instead of a bowl of their cuticle contains Aragonitnadeln or is covered by small Aragonitschuppen. The worm shape of the animals is the result of a reduction in the muscular foot.

System

The Wurmmollusken are today mostly no longer considered a monophyletic group. The position of the two classes counted for this purpose within the molluscs is not exhaustive secured. Some of them were with the chitons in a monophyletic Aculifera ( spiked molluscs) combined.