VerbarMollusca

One of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom a phylum including the classes Cephalopoda Gastropoda Pteropoda Scaphopoda and Pelecyopoda syn Bivalvia formerly called Lamellibranchiata or Conchifera These animals have an unsegmented bilateral body with most of the organs and parts paired but not repeated longitudinally Most of them develop a mantle which incloses either a branchial or a pulmonary cavity They are generally more or less covered and protected by a calcareous shell which may be univalve bivalve or multivalve