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mantle retractor muscle

mollusk anatomy
Also known as: pallial retractor muscle

Quick Summary

The mantle is a soft covering in mollusks that secretes the shell and forms a mantle cavity. In bivalves, the mantle can fuse to create siphons for water flow. The mantle also has retractor muscles that pull it away from the shell. These muscles attach to the shell at a point called the pallial line. Bivalves possess adductor muscles that close the shell, and some also have pedal retractor muscles for burrowing or byssal retractors for attachment.12

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