Malacology

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A bigfin reef squid displaying considerably developed ocular, locomotive, and bioluminescent organs, all particularly of interest to the malacological study of its class Cephalopoda. Squid komodo.jpg
A bigfin reef squid displaying considerably developed ocular, locomotive, and bioluminescent organs, all particularly of interest to the malacological study of its class Cephalopoda.

Malacology [a] is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), 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 from Ancient Greek μαλακός (malakós) 'soft'and -λογία ( -logía ) '-logy', 'study of'.

Contents

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.[ citation needed ]

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

Malacology evolved from the earlier discipline of conchology, which focused solely on the collection and classification of shells. The transformation into a comprehensive field of biological study occurred over several key historical milestones.

Early period pre-1795

Before the late 18th century, the study of mollusks was limited to conchology, emphasizing the aesthetic and taxonomic value of shells. During this time, the term "mollusks" referred only to shell-less species such as cephalopods and slugs. Organisms with shells were classified under "Testacea", reflecting a limited understanding of their broader biological characteristics. [3]

The contributions of Cuvier

In 1795, French naturalist Georges Cuvier introduced a new classification system for invertebrates based on anatomical observations. He proposed that mollusks represented a distinct group of organisms unified by common morphological traits. This approach laid the groundwork for the transition from conchology to malacology, as it highlighted the importance of internal anatomy over external shell features. [3]

Early 19th Century

Following Cuvier’s work, the early 19th century saw an expansion of the field’s focus. Scientists began studying not only the external shells of mollusks but also their internal anatomy, physiological functions, and ecological roles. This marked a shift toward viewing mollusks as complete organisms, rather than merely as shell producers. The term "malacology" was officially introduced in 1825 by French zoologist and anatomist Henri-Marie Ducrotay de Blainville. Derived from the Greek word "malakos" (meaning "soft"), it reflected a broader interest in the biological and ecological characteristics of mollusks, including their soft body structures. This moment is considered the formal establishment of malacology as a distinct scientific discipline. [3]

Late 19th Century and beyond

By the late 19th century, malacology had expanded further to encompass evolutionary biology, taxonomy, and ecology. Researchers investigated the relationships between mollusks and other invertebrates, as well as their roles in various ecosystems. The discipline continued to integrate new methodologies and technologies, solidifying its place within zoology. [3]

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

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. [7] They include:

Museums

Malacological Museum in Makarska, Croatia (entrance) Malakoloski muzej Makarska.jpg
Malacological Museum in Makarska, Croatia (entrance)

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

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ From the French malacologie, contraction of malacozoologie; from the Neo-Latin Malacozoa, 'zoological group including soft-bodied animals'; from Ancient Greek μαλακός (malakós) 'soft'and ζῷον (zôion) 'animal'.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conchology</span> Study of mollusc shells

Conchology is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs; however, malacology is the study of molluscs as whole organisms, whereas conchology is confined to the study of their shells. It includes the study of land and freshwater mollusc shells as well as seashells and extends to the study of a gastropod's operculum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgar Albert Smith</span> British zoologist (1847–1916)

Edgar Albert Smith was a British zoologist, a malacologist.

<i>Malacologia</i> Academic journal

Malacologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of malacology, the study of mollusks. The journal publishes articles in the fields of molluscan systematics, ecology, population ecology, genetics, molecular genetics, evolution, and phylogenetics. The editor-in-chief is Charles Lydeard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Harper Pease</span> American conchologist and malacologist (1824–1871)

William Harper Pease (1824–1871) was a 19th-century American conchologist, shell collector and malacologist. He described many species of Indo-Pacific marine mollusks from the Cuming collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Read le Brockton Tomlin</span>

John Read le Brockton Tomlin was a British malacologist. He was one of the founders of the Malacological Society of London and was president of the Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland on two separate occasions.

Dwight Willard Taylor (1932–2006) was an American malacologist and paleontologist, a researcher on mollusks. His undergraduate work was at the University of California, Berkeley and his PhD was from Harvard University.

George Alan Solem, known professionally as Alan Solem, was an American malacologist, a biologist who studied mollusks.

Sauveur Abel Aubert Petit de la Saussaye (1792–1870) was a malacologist from France. His surname is: Petit de la Saussaye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Bouchet</span> French biologist

Philippe Bouchet is a French biologist whose primary scientific fields of study are malacology and taxonomy. He works at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. He is also a Commissioner of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

<i>Lampasopsis rhodostoma</i> Species of gastropod

Lampasopsis rhodostoma, common name the Wine-mouth frog shell, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Bursidae, the frog shells.

<i>Journal of Molluscan Studies</i> Academic journal

The Journal of Molluscan Studies is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Malacological Society of London, covering research in malacology. The editor-in-chief is Dinarzarde C. Raheem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malacological Society of London</span> British society and charitable organisation concerned with malacology, the study of molluscs

The Malacological Society of London is a British learned society and charitable organisation concerned with malacology, the study of molluscs, a large phylum of invertebrate animals divided into nine or ten taxonomic classes, of which two are extinct.

Angeline Myra Keen (1905–1986) was an American malacologist and invertebrate paleontologist. She was an expert on the evolution of marine mollusks. With a PhD in psychology. Keen went from being a volunteer, identifying shells at Stanford, and having no formal training in biology or geology, to being one of the world's foremost malacologists. She was called the "First Lady of Malacology".

The Nederlandse Malacologische Vereniging (NMV), known in English as the Netherlands Malacological Society or the Dutch Malacological Society, is a non-profit organisation based in the Netherlands. It is a society devoted to malacology as well as conchology. The NMV was founded in 1934 whichd include both professionals and amateurs members. The NMV created a European malacological society which later became the global society Unitas Malacologica.

<i>The Festivus</i> Academic journal

The Festivus is a publication about malacology and conchology. It is published by the San Diego Shell Club in San Diego, California. The Festivus started in 1970 as a shell club newsletter which was edited by Blanche Brewer. In 1976 Carole Hertz became the editor, and gradually The Festivus became increasingly scientifically respectable, and was transformed into a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Carole Hertz was the editor for 37 years. From 1985 up until 2014, issues of The Festivus contained scientific papers on mollusks, and each paper was peer-reviewed by a professional malacologist. Eleven issues were published annually: one issue per month, except for the month of December.

<i>Archiv für Molluskenkunde</i> Academic journal

Archiv für Molluskenkunde is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Senckenberg Nature Research Society, covering research in malacology.

Rüdiger Bieler is a German-American biologist whose primary scientific field of study is malacology, the study of mollusks.

The Auckland Shell Club, also known as the Conchology Section of the Auckland Museum Institute, is a New Zealand society concerned with the study of molluscs and their shells.

The Sociedade Brasileira de Malacologia, or SBMa in short, is a Brazilian scientific organization dedicated to the study, research, conservation, and dissemination of knowledge about mollusks. Founded in 1969, the society brings together researchers, students, and enthusiasts of malacology across Brazil, promoting activities that stimulate the advancement of biological and ecological sciences related to this group of organisms.

References

  1. ↑ "Home – Division of Invertebrate Zoology". Archived from the original on 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
  2. ↑ Charles F. Sturm; Timothy A. Pearce; Ángel Valdés (July 2006). The mollusks. Universal-Publishers. ISBN   978-1-58112-930-4. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Vinarski, Maxim V. (28 March 2014). "The birth of malacology. When and how?". Zoosystematics and Evolution. 90 (1): 1–5. doi: 10.3897/zse.90.7008 .
  4. ↑ "Malaco Argentina".
  5. ↑ "Sociedade Brasileira de Malacologia". Archived from the original on 2015-04-14.
  6. ↑ "Sociedad de Malacolología de México A.C." Archived from the original on 2012-03-26.
  7. ↑ Bieler & Kabat, Malacological Journals and Newsletters, 1773–1990; The Nautilus 105(2):39–61, 1991 Archived 2018-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Tryon, George Washington, 1838–1888 (1865). Details – American journal of conchology. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "American Malacological Society". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03.
  10. ↑ "Archiv für Molluskenkunde (ISSN 1869-0963, e-ISSN 2367-0622), Optional Open Access)". Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
  11. ↑ Basteria Archived 2015-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ The Bulletin of the Russian Far East Malacological Society Archived 2011-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Elsevier. "Fish and Shellfish Immunology". Archived from the original on 2010-01-12.
  14. ↑ GuppY. "Cernuelle – Folia Conchyliologica" (in French). Archived from the original on 2011-01-27.
  15. ↑ "Editorial SMP". Archived from the original on 2008-09-22.
  16. ↑ Folia Malacologica Archived 2009-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "Heldia - Münchner malakologische Mitteilungen". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  18. ↑ "Details – Journal de conchyliologie. – Biodiversity Heritage Library". Archived from the original on 2017-10-27.
  19. ↑ "Journal de conchyliologie – 77 années disponibles – Gallica". Archived from the original on 2016-02-16.
  20. ↑ "Journal of Conchology – The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland". Archived from the original on 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  21. ↑ "Journal of Medical and Applied Malacology". Archived from the original on 2010-07-29.
  22. ↑ "Malacologica Bohemoslovaca" (in English and Czech). Archived from the original on 2008-04-20.
  23. ↑ "Malacological Review". Archived from the original on 2012-07-03.
  24. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ Menke, Karl Theodor, 1791–1861. "Details – Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie. – Biodiversity Heritage Library". Archived from the original on 2017-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ↑ Clessin, Steph., 1833–. "Details – Malakozoologische Blätter. – Biodiversity Heritage Library". Archived from the original on 2017-07-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ "Mollusca Journal – 2007 to 2009 – The Last Issue – Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden". Archived from the original on 2008-10-11.
  28. ↑ "Molluscan Research – online contents". Archived from the original on 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  29. ↑ General Information Archived 2011-01-12 at the Wayback Machine . accessed 6 December 2010].
  30. ↑ "Mollusca in Deutschland - Malakozoologische Zeitschriften". Archived from the original on 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  31. ↑ "Occasional Molluscan Papers" Archived 2015-08-22 at the Wayback Machine . last change 2 December 2014, accessed 23 August 2016.
  32. ↑ Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology. "Details – Occasional papers on mollusks. – Biodiversity Heritage Library". Archived from the original on 2017-07-20.
  33. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2011-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. ↑ "Strombus online". www.conchasbrasil.org.br. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  35. ↑ "TENTACLE". Archived from the original on 2010-06-03.
  36. ↑ Details – The Conchologist. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. 1891. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2018.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  37. ↑ Details – The Journal of malacology. – Biodiversity Heritage Library. 1894. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2018.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  38. ↑ Official site of The Festivus Archived 2009-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
  39. ↑ "THE NAUTILUS. A Quarterly Devoted to Malacology". shellmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  40. ↑ "THE VELIGER". Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  41. ↑ "Journal Impact Factor 2003". sciencegateway.org. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  42. ↑ "CiNii Articles – 貝類学雑誌Venus : the Japanese journal of malacology" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2009-12-26.
  43. ↑ Vita marina. Stichting Biologia Maritima (Netherlands). 'S Gravenhage. OCLC   13862636.

Further reading

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