ABSTRACT
Molluscs are unique for the presence of a protective shell, defensive inking, geographic distribution from the depth of 9,050 m to an altitude of 4,300 m (Table 1.6), gamete diversity, the use of nurse eggs/embryos to accelerate the first few mitotic divisions in embryos, the occurrence of natural androgenics, gigantism induced by elevated polyploidy the complementary role of mitochondrial genome in sex determination by nuclear genes and the uptake of steroids from surrounding water.
