Malacology Explained

Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species^[1] after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, and cephalopods, along with numerous other kinds, many of which have shells. Malacology derives .

Fields within malacological research include taxonomy, ecology and evolution. Several subdivisions of malacology exist, including conchology, devoted to the study of mollusk shells, and teuthology, the study of cephalopods such as octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. Applied malacology studies medical, veterinary, and agricultural applications, for example the study of mollusks as vectors of schistosomiasis and other diseases.

Archaeology employs malacology to understand the evolution of the climate, the biota of the area, and the usage of the site.

Zoological methods are used in malacological research. Malacological field methods and laboratory methods (such as collecting, documenting and archiving, and molecular techniques) were summarized by Sturm et al. (2006).^[2]

History

In 1681, Filippo Bonanni wrote the first book ever published that was solely about seashells, the shells of marine mollusks.^[3] The book was entitled: ^[4] In 1868, the German Malacological Society was founded.

Malacologists

See main article: List of malacologists. Those who study malacology are known as malacologists. Those who study primarily or exclusively the shells of mollusks are known as conchologists, while those who study mollusks of the class Cephalopoda are teuthologists.

Societies

• (Asociación Argentina de Malacología)^[5]
• American Malacological Society
• Association of Polish Malacologists (Polish: Stowarzyszenie Malakologów Polskich)
• Belgian Malacological Society (French: Société Belge de Malacologie) – French speaking
• – Dutch speaking
• Brazilian Malacological Society (Portuguese: Sociedade Brasileira de Malacologia)^[6]
• Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Conchologists of America
• Dutch Malacological Society
• Estonian Malacological Society
• European Quaternary Malacologists
• Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society
• German Malacological Society (German: Deutsche Malakozoologische Gesellschaft)
• Hungarian Malacological Society (Hungarian: Magyar Malakológiai Társaság)
• Italian Malacological Society (Italian: Società Italiana di Malacologia)
• Malacological Society of Australasia
• Malacological Society of London
• Malacological Society of the Philippines, Inc.
• Mexican Malacological Society (Spanish; Castilian: Sociedad Mexicana de Malacología y Conquiliología)^[7]
• Spanish Malacological Society (Spanish; Castilian: Sociedad Española de Malacología)
• Western Society of Malacologists

Journals

More than 150 journals within the field of malacology are being published from more than 30 countries, producing an overwhelming amount of scientific articles.^[8] They include:

• American Journal of Conchology (1865–1872)^[9]
• American Malacological Bulletin^[10]
• ^[11]
• Basteria^[12]
• Bulletin of Russian Far East Malacological Society^[13]
• Fish & Shellfish Immunology^[14]
• Folia conchyliologica^[15]
• Folia Malacologica^{[16] [17]}
• Heldia^[18]
• Johnsonia
• Journal de Conchyliologie – volumes 1850–1922^[19] at Biodiversity Heritage Library; volumes 1850–1938^[20] at Bibliothèque nationale de France
• Journal of Conchology^[21]
• Journal of Medical and Applied Malacology^[22]
• Journal of Molluscan Studies
• Malacologia
• Malacologica Bohemoslovaca^[23]
• Malacological Review – volume 1 (1968) – today,^[24] contents of volume 27 (1996) – volume 40 (2009)^[25]
• Soosiana
• Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie (1844–1853)^[26] → Malakozoologische Blätter (1854–1878)^[27]
• Miscellanea Malacologica
• Mollusca^[28]
• Molluscan Research^[29] – impact factor: 0.606 (2007)^[30]
• Mitteilungen der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft^[31]
• Occasional Molluscan Papers (since 2008)^[32]
• Occasional Papers on Mollusks (1945–1989), 5 volumes^[33]
• Ruthenica^[34]
• Strombus^[35]
• Tentacle – The Newsletter of the Mollusc Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.^[36]
• The Conchologist (1891–1894)^[37] → The Journal of Malacology (1894–1905)^[38]
• The Festivus – a peer-reviewed journal which started as a club newsletter in 1970, published by the San Diego Shell Club^[39]
• The Nautilus – since 1886 published by Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. First two volumes were published under name The Conchologists’ Exchange. Impact factor: 0.500 (2009)^[40]
• The Veliger^[41] – impact factor: 0.606 (2003)^[42]
• 貝類学雑誌 Venus (Japanese Journal of Malacology)^[43]
• Vita Malacologica a Dutch journal published in English – one themed issue a year
• Vita Marina^[44] (discontinued in May 2001)

Museums

Museums that have either exceptional malacological research collections (behind the scenes) and/or exceptional public exhibits of mollusks:

• Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
• American Museum of Natural History
• Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum
• Cau del Cargol Shell Museum
• Maria Mitchell Association
• Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard
• National Museum of Natural History, France
• Natural History Museum, London
• Rinay
• Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels: with a collection of more than 9 million shells (mainly from the collection of Philippe Dautzenberg)
• Smithsonian Institution

See also

• Invertebrate paleontology
• History of invertebrate paleozoology
• Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology

Further reading

• Cox L. R. & Peake J. F. (eds.). Proceedings of the First European Malacological Congress. September 17–21, 1962. Text in English with black-and-white photographic reproductions, also maps and diagrams. Published by the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and the Malacological Society of London in 1965 with no ISBN.
• Heppel D. (1995). "The long dawn of Malacology: a brief history of malacology from prehistory to the year 1800." Archives of Natural History 22(3): 301–319.

External links

• Periodicals about molluscs at WorldCat

Notes and References

1. Web site: Home – Division of Invertebrate Zoology. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070208135845/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/malacology/. 2007-02-08. 2007-02-08.
2. Book: Charles F. Sturm. Timothy A. Pearce. Ángel Valdés. The mollusks. July 2006. Universal-Publishers. 978-1-58112-930-4. 2022-08-22. 2022-10-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20221022170122/https://books.google.com/books?id=-NbmHx93s8gC. live.
3. Web site: Buonanni's Chiocciole (1681) . ansp.org . 8 August 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100322225631/http://www.ansp.org/museum/digital_collections/shells/bounanni.php . 22 March 2010 .
4. Bonanni F. 1681. Ricreatione dell' occhio e dela mente nell oservation' delle Chiociolle, proposta a' curiosi delle opere della natura, &c. 1681. Varese, Rome, xiv, 384 pp., 109 plates. figure 101.
5. Web site: Malaco Argentina .
6. Web site: Sociedade Brasileira de Malacologia. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150414151937/http://sbmalacologia.com.br/#a. 2015-04-14.
7. Web site: Sociedad de Malacolología de México A.C.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120326015039/http://www.smmac.org.mx/. 2012-03-26.
8. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruediger_Bieler/publication/259177036_Malacological_journals_and_newsletters_1773-1990/links/0deec53398d0069d6f000000.pdf Bieler & Kabat, Malacological Journals and Newsletters, 1773–1990; The Nautilus 105(2):39–61, 1991
9. Book: Details – American journal of conchology. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. Tryon, George Washington, 1838–1888. 1865 . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170930022555/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/15900. 2017-09-30.
10. Web site: American Malacological Society. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20101203023500/http://www.malacological.org/publications/amb.php. 2010-12-03.
11. Web site: Archiv für Molluskenkunde (ISSN 1869-0963, e-ISSN 2367-0622), Optional Open Access). 2012-07-03. 2013-01-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20130129071226/http://www.schweizerbart.de/journals/archmoll. live.
12. http://www.spirula.nl/publicaties/e_basteria.htm Basteria
13. http://rfems.dvo.ru/bulletin/e_main.htm The Bulletin of the Russian Far East Malacological Society
14. Web site: Fish and Shellfish Immunology. Elsevier. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100112050500/http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622832/description#description. 2010-01-12.
15. Web site: Cernuelle – Folia Conchyliologica. GuppY. fr. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110127201702/http://cernuelle.com/download.php?lng=fr. 2011-01-27.
16. Web site: Editorial SMP. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080922010756/http://www.foliamalacologica.com/. 2008-09-22.
17. http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~polmal/folia/folia.htm Folia Malacologica
18. Web site: Heldia - Münchner malakologische Mitteilungen . 2011-07-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110718214454/http://www.conchbooks.de/contents/en-us/p342.html . 2011-07-18 .
19. Web site: Details – Journal de conchyliologie. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171027181322/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/14924. 2017-10-27.
20. Web site: Journal de conchyliologie – 77 années disponibles – Gallica. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160216171447/http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb343487782/date.r=Architecture.langEN. 2016-02-16.
21. Web site: Journal of Conchology – The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 2009-09-07. 2010-03-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20100317190046/http://www.conchsoc.org/resources/journal.php. live.
22. Web site: Journal of Medical and Applied Malacology. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100729044546/http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mologis/MedAplMa.html. 2010-07-29.
23. Web site: Malacologica Bohemoslovaca. en, cs. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080420060802/http://www.mollusca.sav.sk/. 2008-04-20.
24. Web site: Malacological Review. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120703053923/http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mologis/MalaRevi.html. 2012-07-03.
25. http://runners.ritsumei.ac.jp/cgi-bin/swets/volume-query-e?mode=1&key=&issn=00763004&tr=Malacological+Review
26. Web site: Details – Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. Menke, Karl Theodor, 1791–1861. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170717021740/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/16292. 2017-07-17.
27. Web site: Details – Malakozoologische Blätter. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. Clessin, Steph., 1833–. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170715150217/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/15800. 2017-07-15.
28. Web site: Mollusca Journal – 2007 to 2009 – The Last Issue – Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20081011094523/http://www.mollusca-journal.de/. 2008-10-11.
29. Web site: Molluscan Research – online contents. 2010-12-06. 2010-12-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20101210232632/http://www.mapress.com/mr/content.htm. live.
30. http://www.mapress.com/mr/about.htm General Information
31. Web site: Mollusca in Deutschland - Malakozoologische Zeitschriften . 2017-03-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329045616/http://www.dmg.mollusca.de/mitteilungen.htm . 2017-03-29 .
32. http://www.molluscan.com/omp/index.html "Occasional Molluscan Papers"
33. Web site: Details – Occasional papers on mollusks. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170720041359/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/5384. 2017-07-20.
34. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-04-24 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110207173741/http://ruthenica.com/ . 2011-02-07 .
35. Web site: Strombus online. www.conchasbrasil.org.br. 5 April 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121026034849/http://conchasbrasil.org.br/strombus/online.asp. 26 October 2012.
36. Web site: TENTACLE. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100603125325/http://www.hawaii.edu/cowielab/Tentacle.htm. 2010-06-03.
37. Book: Details – The Conchologist. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. www.biodiversitylibrary.org. 1891 . 5 April 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161120220453/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/16143#/summary. 20 November 2016.
38. Book: Details – The Journal of malacology. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. www.biodiversitylibrary.org. 1894 . 5 April 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160112193505/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/16176#/summary. 12 January 2016.
39. http://www.sandiegoshellclub.com/PracFestivus.html Official site of The Festivus
40. Web site: THE NAUTILUS. A Quarterly Devoted to Malacology. shellmuseum.org. 6 December 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20101130091620/http://shellmuseum.org/nautilus/index.html. 30 November 2010.
41. Web site: THE VELIGER. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080501150346/http://www.theveliger.org/. 2008-05-01. 2008-04-21.
42. Web site: Journal Impact Factor 2003. sciencegateway.org. 6 December 2010. 28 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110728004407/http://www.sciencegateway.org/impact/if03sz.htm. live.
43. Web site: CiNii Articles – 貝類学雑誌Venus : the Japanese journal of malacology. ja. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20091226172956/http://ci.nii.ac.jp/vol_issue/nels/AN00410236_en.html. 2009-12-26.
44. Book: Vita marina. Stichting Biologia Maritima (Netherlands). 'S Gravenhage. 13862636.