Abstract
A shell is the hard outer cover or the external skeleton of the mollusc that secretes it and protects it from adverse environment and predators. Molluscs are soft-bodied multi-cellular animals which secrete a hard calcareous shell for their protection. Each shell pattern is very specific to the particular species that synthesizes it. Therefore, there are shells of different shapes, colours, sizes, sculptures and ornamentation, which is typical of the molluscan species that produce them. The identification of shells is therefore, with reference to the molluscan species, which produce them. The type of shell each molluscan species produces helps in determining presence of that particular species in the marine environment and thus helps build a database of molluscs of that region. This chapter provides brief information on phylum Mollusca, different classes of the phylum, structure and description of molluscan shells, and salient features of shells of different species that are found in Goa. In sum, the chapter sets the background for identification of shells of various species of molluscs that are found in Goa.
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Sonak, S.M. (2017). Molluscs and Their Shells. In: Marine Shells of Goa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55099-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55099-2_1
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