3.1. MOLLUSK EVOLUTION


concha_preh

Figure 3.1 – Pecten sp. shown on the left. In the upper right, fossil; lower right a young specimen of the contemporary species (Pecten novaezealandiae). Images of the fossil and the young specimen obtained from http://commons.wikimedia.org/

Coiled, conical or cirtoconical shells appear frequently in lower cambrian fauna all over the world. These fossils indisputably remind us of current mollusk shells in relation to form and microstructure (Figure 3.1). It is widely accepted, therefore, that the first representatives of Filo Mollusca are most probably within the trunk group.