In contrary to a real elephant tusk this shell, however, is open … There are four genera of tusk shells (Dentalium is typical and most common) and more than 350 species. Class I. Bivalve / Pelecypoda Alphabetical Index by Common Name Alphabetical Index by Genus and Species The Scaphopoda are a distinctive group of molluscs commonly known as the "tusk shells" because their shells are conical and slightly curved to the dorsal … In biological classification, the genus comes first followed by species, and the species … The mantle of Dentalium species is entirely within the shell. Fossil species … The tusk shells or tooth shells, often referred to by the more-technical term scaphopods (From Ancient Greek, σκᾰ́φης (skáphē) "boat", and πούς (poús) "foot"), are members of a class of shelled marine mollusc with worldwide distribution, and are the only class of exclusively infaunal marine molluscs. About 350 species are known, most found in 6 meters or more of water, with a few species, only, found on shore. Tusk Shells reside within sand and mud substrate and plow through sand or mud using a modified foot located at the wider end of the shell. tusk shell is defined by the lexicographers at Oxford Dictionaries as A burrowing mollusc with a slender tusk-shaped shell, ... in particular the genus Dentalium. Cadula shells are typically 4 mm in length, whereas Dentalium shells up to 150 mm have been found off shore of Japan. Alphabetical Index by Common Name Alphabetical Index by Genus and Species Alphabetical Index by Family. About 350 species are known, most found in 6 meters or more of water, with a few species, only, found on shore. Introduction to the Scaphopoda the tusk shells. Genus vs Species Although both genus and species are referred to state a particular animal or plant or any organism, there are differences between the two that anyone should know. ... ‘There are approximately 900 species of Scaphopoda, commonly called tusk … Additionally, the shell of Pseudolilliconus species has features very different from those of species … This cone-shaped foot gives the shell its Latin name-“Boat-footed”. The species in genus Pseudolilliconus (Fig. What does tusk shell mean? Fossil species of Dentalium up to 300 mm, with a 30 mm diameter, are known. The genus contains 50 described species and about 50 extinct species The scientific name of this genus comes from the Latin word dentis, meaning tooth, based on the tooth or tusk-shaped form of these molluscs. The tusk shells or tooth shells, often referred to by the more-technical term scaphopods / ˈ s k æ f ə ˌ p ɒ d / (From Ancient Greek, σκᾰ́φης (skáphē) "boat", and πούς (poús) "foot"), are members of a class of shelled marine mollusc with worldwide distribution, and are the only class of exclusively infaunal marine molluscs. Tusk shell explained. Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students.ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific … Shells of species … On the coast shells can often be found that belong to an animal that looks roughly like an elephant's tusk, which it is therefore colloquially called. Tusk shell, any of several marine mollusks of the class Scaphopoda. Most tusk shells live in fairly deep water, sometimes to depths of about 4,000 metres (13,000 feet); many deep-sea species are Cadula shells are typically 4 mm in length, whereas Dentalium shells up to 150 mm have been found off shore of Japan. Tusk Shell have long been used a shell money and jewelry by Native Americans and Mediterranean cultures. 2G, H) have not been examined molecularly, but they display evident differences in radular morphology (Figs 7, 8).