Quelle fascinante découverte:
One of the defining characteristics of the mollusks is the possession of a radula, a kind of toothed-tongue which is used to rake up or rasp food.
The radula houses hundreds of teeth, the patterns of which can be used to determine diet and identify species. Whilst not all mollusks have a radula, a radula cannot be found in any other group of animals.
The newly-discovered species, Calvapilosa kroegeri, resembles a slug covered with short spines all over its upper body and with a large ‘fingernail-like shell’ over its head.
In the center of the head of this new species are two rows of teeth which the researchers demonstrate is a radula.
The discovery of this structure firmly identifies Calvapilosa kroegeri as a mollusk.
Following an analysis to determine the family tree of mollusks, Calvapilosa kroegeri was revealed to be the most primitive member of the lineage leading to chitons.