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The radula (US: / ˈ r æ dʒ ʊ l ə /; pl.: radulae or radulas) [1] is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. [2] It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus .
The buccal mass is the first part of the digestive system, and consists of the mouth and pharynx. The mouth includes a radula, and in most cases, also a pair of jaws. The pharynx can be very large, especially in carnivorous species. Many carnivorous species have developed a proboscis, containing the oral cavity, radula, and part of the ...
Median – Middle, as the middle tooth on the radula. [1] Mesocene – The middle cusp on the teeth of the radula. [1] Monoecius – Having the sexes united in the same individual. [1] Multifid – Made up of many lobes or projections, as the cusps on some radulae. [1] Multispiral – Consisting of many whorls, as some fresh-water snails. [1]
Caenogastropoda can be divided into two major groups, based on the anatomy of the radula: Taenioglossa (from taenio meaning band), equivalent to the older Mesogastropoda, with typically seven teeth in each radular row. Stenoglossa (from steno meaning narrow), the Neogastropoda, with only 1–3 teeth per row.
Muscles that control the radula are shown in brown. The surface of the radula ribbon, with numerous teeth, is shown as a zig-zag line. The odontophore is part of the feeding mechanism in molluscs. It is the cartilage which underlies and supports the radula, a ribbon of teeth. [1] The radula is found in every class of molluscs except for the ...
The rosy wolfsnail is specialized for carnivory, its buccal mass being totally contained within a beak-like rostrum that can be extended, thus allowing the toothed radula to be ejected past the mouth and into the snail's prey. The radula is enlarged and has teeth specialized into elongated cones.
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The anatomy of a common air-breathing land snail: much of this anatomy does not apply to gastropods in other clades or groups. Snails are distinguished by an anatomical process known as torsion, where the visceral mass of the animal rotates 180° to one side during development, such that the anus is situated more or less above the head. This ...