Aperture (mollusc)

Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc. The term aperture is used for the main opening in gastropod shells, scaphopod shells, and also for Nautilus and Ammonite shells. The word is not used to describe bivalve shells, where a natural opening between the two shell valves in the closed position is usually called a gape. Scaphopod shells are tubular, and thus they have two openings: a main anterior aperture and a smaller posterior aperture. As well as the aperture, some gastropod shells have additional openings in their shells for respiration; this is the case in some Fissurellidae (keyhole limpets) where the central smaller opening at the apex of the shell is called an orifice, and in the Haliotidae (abalones) where the row of respiratory openings in the shell are also called orifices.

In gastropods
In some prosobranch gastropods, the aperture of the shell can be closed, and even completely sealed, with a sort of door or operculum. The aperture of many snail shells is more or less round, rounded, elliptical or oval. This shape usually corresponds roughly to the cross-section of the body whorl of the shell. The aperture of a snail shell can have many other forms: semicircular, trilobate or auriculate. In some gastropods, the aperture is narrowed by protruding plaits, which help make the soft parts of the animal less vulnerable to predation. The growth of the shell is provided for by non-continuous addition of minute layers to the aperture margin (also called peristome) from the mantle border, the principal agent in the secretion of the shell.
Three views of a shell of Norelona pyrenaica with the apertural view in the center

Terminology
A shell of Semicassis pyrum, which has a large aperture and a pronounced parietal callus. The margin of the aperture is sometimes continuous or entire (Epitonium), or becomes continuous in the adult (Caracolus); very frequently it is interrupted, the left side of the aperture being formed only by the body-whorl.

For convenience of reference, the margin of a gastropod aperture is divided into three areas: The parietal wall with the outer lip (labrum): the area next to the penultimate whorl of the shell. The siphonal notch is situated at the top. The columellar wall with the columellar lip (labium): the wall next to the columella. The siphonal canal is situated at its base.

Aperture (mollusc) The palatal wall: the outer free wall of the final whorl of the shell. The aperture is descending or deflected, when it does not follow the spiral of the shell, but turns downwards (such as in Helix). Sometimes it departs from contact with the preceding whorl (as frequently in Cylindrella).

Shape
The shape of the aperture can be: auriform, ear-shaped, as in Auriculella* bean - for example: Aerotrochus perdepressa[1] circular, rotundate, orbicular. claw-shaped aperture - Some Melongenidae have a claw-shaped aperture. crescent - examples: Hyalosagda arboreoides, Dialeuca conspersula[2] distorted aperture - Personidae has a distorted aperture. linear, narrow. Cypraea, Conus

Conus betulinus has a long and narrow aperture.

longitudinal, when its greatest diameter is parallel with the axis of volution. lunate, semilunar, semicircular or half-moon [3] . Nerita. transverse, reverse of longitudinal. oblique, greatest diameter oblique to the axis. oblong, much longer than wide, rounded above and below. oval or teardrop - examples: Geomelania minor, Urocoptis ambigua[4]

Aperture (mollusc)

Indrella ampulla has an oval aperture.

ovate, egg-shaped. patulous when dilated and compressed when diminished at its entrance. quadrate. Architectonica rounded, the circle slightly interrupted; example: Valvata sincera. Consequently there is no siphonal canal but simply an opening for respiration. [5]

Valvata sincera has a rounded aperture.

rounded aperture of Valvata piscinalis can be covered by an operculum

semicircular

Aperture (mollusc)

Theodoxus danubialis has a semicircular aperture.

with top angle acute - examples: Leptopeas micrum, Varicella griffithii[6] triangular. Janthina. without aperture

Some shells, like this Patella vulgata, have no aperture.

Aperture (mollusc)

With teeth
Juvenile shells retain a sharp aperture for a variable period, but finally acquire adult characters, consisting of a thickened, reflected, inflected or lipped aperturewhich is sometimes more or less contracted by inflected calcareous projections called teeth. These may be outer lip teeth, columellar teeth or parietal treeth. Folds or plicae are named as follows: Folds or plicae 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. suprapalatal upper palatal interpalatal lower palatal infrapalatal basal

Lamellae are named as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. infracolumellar columellar supracolumellar infraparietal parietal angular and twin paraller
The dentate aperture of Multidentula ovularis

References
[1] "Aperture shape Bean" (http:/ / www. discoverlife. org/ mp/ 20q?act=x_show_state& guide=Molluscs& character=Aperture+ shape& state=Bean). accessed 3 January 2011. [2] "Aperture shape Crescent" (http:/ / www. discoverlife. org/ mp/ 20q?act=x_show_state& guide=Molluscs& character=Aperture+ shape& state=Crescent). accessed 3 January 2011. [3] "Aperture shape Half-moon" (http:/ / www. discoverlife. org/ mp/ 20q?act=x_show_state& guide=Molluscs& character=Aperture+ shape& state=Half-moon). accessed 3 January 2011. [4] "Aperture shape Oval or teardrop" (http:/ / www. discoverlife. org/ mp/ 20q?act=x_show_state& guide=Molluscs& character=Aperture+ shape& state=Oval+ or+ teardrop). accessed 3 January 2011. [5] "Aperture shape Round" (http:/ / www. discoverlife. org/ mp/ 20q?act=x_show_state& guide=Molluscs& character=Aperture+ shape& state=Round). accessed 3 January 2011. [7]

Scheme of an aperture of a gastropod showing terminology of teeth, plicae and folds.

[6] "Aperture shape Taller than wide, top angle acute" (http:/ / www. discoverlife. org/ mp/ 20q?act=x_show_state& guide=Molluscs& character=Aperture+ shape& state=Taller+ than+ wide,+ top+ angle+ acute). accessed 3 January 2011.

Aperture (mollusc)
[7] Pilsbry H. A. & Cooke C. M. 1918-1920. Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Volume 25. Pupillidae (Gastrocoptinae, Vertigininae) (http:/ / www. archive. org/ details/ manualofconcholo25tryorich). Philadelphia. page vii. (http:/ / www. us. archive. org/ GnuBook/ ?id=manualofconcholo25tryorich#12)

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Aperture (mollusc) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=441487658 Contributors: Altenmann, Barbara Shack, Craig Pemberton, Donald Albury, GrahamBould, Invertzoo, JoJan, Lycaon, Pharos, Snek01, Spawn Man, Tom Meijer, UtherSRG, 2 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Norelona pyrenaica shell.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Norelona_pyrenaica_shell.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: George Washington Tryon, Jr. (1838-1888) File:Semicassis pyrum (base).JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Semicassis_pyrum_(base).JPG License: Public Domain Contributors: GrahamBould File:Conus-betulinus-001.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Conus-betulinus-001.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Niccol Gualtieri File:Indrella ampulla shell.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Indrella_ampulla_shell.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: William Thomas Blanford (1832-1905) & Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen (1834-1923) File:Valvata sincera shell lateral.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Valvata_sincera_shell_lateral.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Miss Helen Winchester (born ? - died ?, U.S.A.) (She was associated with Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia until 1946 - (according to Vera Norwood. 1993. Made from This Earth: American Women and Nature. The University of North Carolina Press, 392 pp., ISBN 0807843962, page 70. )) File:Valvata piscinalis drawing apertural view.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Valvata_piscinalis_drawing_apertural_view.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Valvata_piscinalis_drawing.jpg: derivative work: Tom Meijer (talk) File:Theodoxus danubialis.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Theodoxus_danubialis.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Francisco Welter Schultes File:Patella vulgata Napfschnecke.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Patella_vulgata_Napfschnecke.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Manfred Heyde File:Multidentula ovularis shell.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Multidentula_ovularis_shell.png License: unknown Contributors: Burin Akm Gm & Eike Neubert File:Aperture teeth.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Aperture_teeth.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Pilsbry H. A. & Cooke C. M.

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/