Differentiate between Arthropoda and Mollusca.

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Differences between Arthropods and Molluscs

Feature	ArthropodaMollusca
Body plan	Segmented body; head–thorax–abdomen (in many), with paired, jointed appendages	Soft, unsegmented body; often with a head, visceral mass, and muscular foot
Covering	Exoskeleton of chitin (periodically molted)	Many have calcareous shells secreted by a mantle; some (e.g., octopus, slug) lack shells
Locomotion	Jointed legs; in insects, wings arise from the thorax (not abdomen)	Muscular foot (crawling, burrowing); in cephalopods, arms/jet propulsion
Circulation	Mostly open circulatory system (hemolymph); exceptions are rare	Mostly open; cephalopods (squid, octopus) have a closed system
Diversity	Largest animal phylum	Second largest animal phylum
Examples	Insects, spiders, scorpions, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, mites	Snails, clams, oysters, squids, octopuses, slugs

Key takeaway: Arthropods are segmented, joint-legged animals with a chitinous exoskeleton; molluscs are soft-bodied animals typically protected by a shell and moved by a muscular foot.

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