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The Biological Bulletin, Vol 194, Issue 2 224-230, Copyright © 1998 by Marine Biological Laboratory

BIOMINERALIZATION

Minerals of the Radular Apparatus of Falcidens sp. (Caudofoveata) and the Evolutionary Implications for the Phylum Mollusca

R. Cruz, U. Lins and M. Farina
Instituto de Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitaria, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil

Minerals have been found in the radular teeth of molluscs from the classes Caudofoveata, Polyplacophora, Monoplacophora, and Gastropoda (Patellogastropoda: Acmaeidae, Patellidae). Here we report the discovery of amorphous iron oxide and hydroxyapatite in the highly modified radular apparatus of Falcidens sp. (Caudofoveata). The mineralization process in Falcidens sp. is unique: the components of the radular apparatus, unlike those of other molluscs, are not renewed during the animal's lifetime. We propose that the presence of mineralized teeth among the molluscs is not necessarily connected to their manner of obtaining food and suggest that the molluscan common ancestor had mineralized teeth.




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