Aplacophora is a class of exclusively benthic marine mollusks found in all oceans of the world. The family comprises 28 families and about 320 species. They are small (no longer than 5 cm), cylindrical and worm-like. They can however reach a length of 30 cm.

Habitat

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Aplacophorans mainly burrow into the substrate in water regions deeper than 20 m. These species may reach densities up to 4 or 5 specimens per m².

Taxonomy

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This class was once classified as sea cucumbers in the echinoderms. In 1987, they were officially recognized as mollusks and given their own class.

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