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PHYLUM: MOLLUSCA

The phylum mollusca includes many organisms that can make any dive a bit more memorable.  These organisms include squid (whose eggs are a common site in the winter time at the Scripps Canyon in San Diego), octopi (with several species ranging in size, abundance, and locations off of our coast), scallops (more common in the harder to reach dive locations), nudibranchs (a group with many subclasses that have one very important characteristic for divers and photographers; with their bright colors and gill structures these small organisms are all a photographer's dream!), sea snails (which are very common in the kelp forests), and mussels (on any dock or rock structure exposed during high tide) to name a few!  The human uses of these organisms are as diverse as the members of this phyla.  Organisms such as squid are commonly used as bait by fisherman and are also a popular food source for many different cultures.  Octopi have been the subject of much research in intelligence while other filter feeders are potentially great candidates for studies in water quality and bioaccumulation.  Underwater photographers are well aware of the power the members of the mollusc phylum have on non divers and divers a like.  The spotting of some of the rare molluscs like the abalone (a member of the class gastropoda) can be the most memorable event on even the most spectacular dive.  The number of species within this phylum make it possible to enjoy any of a number of these critters from a visit to the tide pool at Shaw's Cove to a dive at 130 feet at Redondo Beach Submarine Canyon! 

Despite the wide variety in body design all molluscs have three main body features: a muscular structure called the foot, a visceral mass, and a mantle.  All of these structures vary widely in prominence as well as function.  These differences will be discussed in more detail in description of the classes within the phylum mollusca.  

• BIVALVIA (CLAMS, SCALLOPS, MUSCLES)

• POLYPLACOPHORA (CHITONS)

• GASTROPODA (NUDIBRANCHS & SEA HARES)

• CEPHALOPODA (SQUID & OCTOPI)