PHYLUM Mollusca

SQUID DISSECTION

TAXONOMY OF THE SQUID:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Teuthida
Family: Loliginidae
Genus: Loligo

PROCEDURE:

Part A. Body Organization

1. Place the squid in the dissecting pan. Note that there is no external shell and that the major part of the body is
enclosed by the soft, muscular mantle. There are eight conspicuous arms and two tentacles, derived from the
mollusk foot.
2. Arrange your specimen so that the mantle points away from you. See Figure 1. Turn the animal so that the siphon
faces you. The eyes should be on the right and left sides of the body.
3. Slit open the mantle cavity by inserting the tip of the scissors under the mantle at the siphon and cutting to the
pointed end of the mantle. Cut with care so that you do not disturb the internal organs.
4. Pin down the mantle to the pan, slanting the pins at an angle away from the specimen as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Part B. Mantle Cavity and Respiratory System

1. Examine the mantle cavity. The walls of the mantle cavity are very muscular. This cavity is involved in
propelling a squid through the water. In the living squid, the mantle cavity expands by muscular action and fills
with water. Use Figure 2 to help you find the collar. The collar locks tightly against the head, leaving the siphon as
the only exit for the water. The mantle muscle then contracts and water is squeezed out through the siphon. This
method of movement is referred to as jet propulsion.
2. Examine the siphon. The siphon is well-equipped with muscles and can be pointed for directional
jet propulsion. Note that the tip of the siphon has a muscular valve.
3. Find the two gills shown in Figure 3. These structures are oriented so that incoming water passes over them.
4. Locate and remove the pen, the vestigial internal shell. Grasp the tip of the pen and tug gently.

Part C. Feeding and Digestive Systems

1. Examine under a stereomicroscope or a hand lens the structure and organization of the suckers.
The suckers, which are located on the tentacles, are used to hold onto prey.
2. Remove the siphon and, with the scissors, make an incision into the head. Expose the beak as shown in Figure 4.
Pry open the beak and observe the tonguelike radula. Trace the esophagus, which is surrounded by the liver, to
the thick-walled stomach. The stomach emerges to form the caecum. Note the pancreas. The intestine runs from
the stomach and terminates in the rectum. An ink sac arises from the intestine near the anus. The ink sac is used
for defense.
 Figure 3 Figure 4

Part D. Circulatory, Excretory, Nervous, and Reproductive Systems

1. Locate the systemic heart as shown in Figure 5. This is a difficult structure to find because it is transparent.
2. Examine the nephridium, a kidneylike excretory organ that removes waste products from the blood.
3. Locate the white mass of the cranium above and between the eyes. This structure contains the squid’s brain.
4. Locate the reproductive organs as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Determine the sex of your squid, but be sure to
examine squids of both sexes. The male has testes that lie beneath the caecum. The female has two large
nidamental glands that secrete a protective covering over the eggs. Eggs might or might not be present.
5. Remove the eye and cut it in half. Examine the transparent lens and the shiny black retina at the back of the eye.
6. Complete Table 1 of the activity sheet. Consult your textbook if necessary.
7. Wash your hands with soap and water after handling the squid.

Figure Figure 6
OYSTER DISSECTION
TAXONOMY OF THE OYSTER:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Pelecypoda or Bivalvia
Order: Lamellibranchia
Family: Filibranchia
Genu: Crassostrea

1. An oyster is composed of shells called valves. When working with the oyster, be careful — some edges of the
valves can be very sharp.The oyster is more pointed at one end. This is the anterior end — called the umbo. The
umbo is the oldest part of the oyster.The posterior end is the larger, curved end — called the bill. The height of the
oyster is the distance from the umbo to the bill.

The shorter of the two valves is the right valve. Notice how the umbo end of the longer valve, the left valve,
extends beyond the umbo end of the right valve. (Figure 1). Locate the right and the left valves.

Note — Typically, the right valve of an oyster will be shorter and less concave than the left valve. However, since
the size and shape of an oyster can be influenced by its environment, observing the umbo end of the oyster is the
most reliable way of differentiating between the right and left valves.

Figure 1

2. Separate the two valves to expose the internal surfaces. On the inside surface of the valves you will observe a dark
area. This is the scar from where the oyster's adductor muscle was attached to the valves.
On the inside of surface of the right valve you may see a small indentation no bigger than the head of pin. This
indentation is the scar from the Quenstedt muscle.

3. For centuries people have been devising ways to get the "meat" out of the oyster. These techniques are referred to
as "shucking." If you would like to shuck your own oyster try the hinge method below.

Hinge Method
Step 1: Place the oyster left value down on a hard surface with the umbo pointing toward you. Firmly hold
down the oyster with a gloved hand.
Step 2: Insert the oyster knife in the hinge of the oyster.
Step 2: Rotate the knife until the pressure pops the hinge.
Step 3: Move the knife around the upper edge of the right valve until the adductor muscle is felt — sever it.
Place the right valve off to the side.
CAUTION: Never hold the oyster in your bare hand while shucking it.

4. Orient the oyster so that the anterior end is pointed away from you. The dorsal and ventral sides of the oyster are
determined by the internal anatomy. The dorsal side of the oyster is on your left, which is the location of the rectum
and anus. The ventral side of the oyster is on your right, which is the location of the gills and mouth.

5. Examine the surface of the oyster body. If you carefully shucked the oyster you may be able to see the small
Quenstedt muscle. This muscle is proposed to be a foot (pedal) remnant from the larval form of the oyster. It was
named after a German geologist and paleontologist Friedrich August von Quenstedt.

6. The mantle is a thin layer of tissue that lines the inner part of each valve. It contains glands that extract elements
from the water and convert them to compounds that make up each valve. Calcium carbonate makes up about 98
percent of each valve, this is the same material used to make chalk.

7. If available, use a stereomicroscope or magnifying glass to observe the tentacles around the edge of the mantle
Carefully fold back the mantle on the ventral side. Directly underneath the mantle are the gills. They are the largest
organ of the oyster. Each gill consists of two folds of tissue. There are two points of attachment.

8. The adductor muscle is composed of two types of fibers - translucent and white, and is located toward the
posterior end of the oyster below the visceral mass and pericardial cavity. The weight of this muscle accounts for
20-40 percent of the soft tissue weight of an oyster. Locate the adductor muscle (Figure 2).

9. The heart is located in the pericardial cavity that is covered by a thin tissue called the pericardium. Try to locate the
heart by removing the pericardium. Next follow the pathway of the digestive system. An oyster's digestive system
consists of labial palps, mouth, esophogus, stomach, digestive gland, intestine, rectum, and anus. There are
two labial palps, one associated with each gill. Each are bilobed, ciliated and function to sort and transfer food
from the gills to the mouth. Locate the labial palps.

10. Food is then passed from the mouth through a short esophogus to the stomach. The stomach is surrounded by the
digestive gland that is the site for enzyme production and intracellular digestion. Locate the digestive gland.

11. From the stomach undigested and digested materials are passed to the intestines where absorption of nutrients and
further processing of wastes occurs. Waste products are passed onto the rectum exiting out the anus. Locate the
rectum and anus.

12. Locate the following structures:

 Labial palps
 Mouth
 Esophogus
 Stomach
 Digestive Gland
 Intestine
 Rectum
 Anus

Figure 2. Oyster in left valve showing cardinal axes and digestive system including labial palps and gills.
 Mollusca

Name:_________________________________ Year & Section:_________________________

Group No.:________________ Date: ______________ Score: ________________________

I. OYSTER:

Complete the table below:

ANATOMICAL FEATURE FUNCTION

adductor muscles
digestive gland
excurrent siphon
foot
gills
hinge ligament
hinge teeth
incurrent siphon
intestine
lines of growth
mantle
nacre
palps
stomach
umbo

Guide questions:

1. What part of the clam secretes the shell? What chemical does it secrete?
2. How do the gills play a part in food gathering?
3. What is the specific function of the muscular foot in clams?
4. Why is a continuous circulation of water essential to the clam?
5. Why do you think the outlet of the digestive system is near the excurrent siphon?

II. SQUID:

ANATOMICAL FEATURE FUNCTION

Mantle
Siphon
Gills
Suckers
Pen
Ink sac
Nephridium
Nidamental gland
Tentacles

Guide Questions:

1.Describe squid locomotion.

2. What anatomical features show that a squid is well-adapted to a predatory existence?
3. What could be the advantage of a reduced internal shell?
4. Cephalopods are thought to have the most highly developed eyes in the invertebrate world.
What anatomical evidence did you see that indicates this?
5. Which features of the squid are common to all members of the phylum Mollusca.