Nidamental glands are

internal organ In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

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s and certain

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

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cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...

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Decapodiformes Decapodiformes is a superorder of Cephalopoda comprising all cephalopod species with ten limbs, specifically eight short arms and two long tentacles. It is hypothesized that the ancestral coleoid had five identical pairs of limbs, and that one ...

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nautilus The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in t ...

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gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

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Cephalopoda Glossary

Tree of Life Web Project The Tree of Life Web Project is an Internet project providing information about the diversity and phylogeny of life on Earth. This collaborative peer reviewed project began in 1995, and is written by biologists from around the world. The site h ...

. In cephalopods, nidamental glands are large, paired glandular structures found in the mantle cavity. Accessory nidamental glands may also be present. Nidamental glands are composed of

lamellae Lamella (plural lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal * ...

and are involved in the secretion of egg cases or the gelatinous substance comprising egg masses. They are also found in phoronids.

Culinary uses

Nidamental glands of cuttlefish are eaten as food in various parts of the world, included either in dishes in which the whole animal is consumed, or separately. In southern Spain, for example, they are cooked whole and known as ''huevos de choco'' and there is a popular notion that these organs are the gonads of the male cuttlefish.HUEVOS DE CHOCO EN PIRIÑACA
cocinarconciencia.blogspot.com.es (February 4, 2013)

References

{{Gastropod anatomy Animal reproductive system Cephalopod zootomy Gastropod anatomy