Web Resources
- Broward Shell ClubThe Broward Shell Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the studies of malacology and conchology. Since 1962, the Club has been active in education, conservation and preservation of mollusks (terrestrial and marine). At monthly meetings, the Club members provide identification of specimens and have a presentation by a guest speaker.
- Hardy's Internet Guide to Marine GastropodsThis enthusiast's site contains a vast collection of images and data of marine gastropod shells. The collection of common names is of particular interest. Scientific names are kept up to date.
- Jacksonville ShellsVisit here for more information on the shells of northern Florida, courtesy of the Jacksonville Shell Club.
- Marine Species Identification PortalThis website has extensive information for identifying marine organisms, animal, plant, and microorganisms. Entries include pictures, descriptions, distribution, habitat, and other relevant information. There are also literature references.
- Southwest Florida Shells with Emphasis on Sanibel & CaptivaOperated by the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island. This site also contains information on seashells, beachcombing, and mollusk biology.
- Journal of Molluscan Studies1893 - present
- Molluscan Research1997 - present
- Zootaxa2001 - present
- Southwest Florida Shell Museum AppiPhone only. Identify shells with your phone camera! Open the Shell Museum app, snap a photo, and learn the name of your shell in seconds. Learn more details about the shell and see photos of the living animal that created it! Courtesy of the Sanibel Shell Museum.
- Thesaurus Conchyliorum, or, Monographs of Genera of ShellsA rare, five-volume monograph of shells, including over 500 beautiful plates and engravings.
Books
Seashells of North America: A Guide to Field Identification by Call Number: QL404 .A2Publication Date: 1968-01-01
Guide to Seashells of the World by
Guide to the Seashells of the World is a practical identification guide that covers a wide range of shells from all parts of the world. The book combines comprehensive and informative text with 1,200 color illustrations, focusing on the shells themselves rather than on the marine creatures that once inhabited them.
An introductory section covers mollusks and their classification, terminology and collection, along with conservation issues and an invaluable identification key.
The main section is the identification guide to 1,200 species in precise detail and clarity. The description of each species is accompanied on the same page with an easy-to-use identification key and color illustration.
The specific details for each entry include:
Detailed color picture of the shell
Shell size
Distribution and locations
Color and texture
Defining characteristics.
Call Number: E-BOOKISBN: 9781849721660Publication Date: 2006-11-28
Peterson Field Guide to Shells of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies by
A Field Guide to Shells of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies .800 species described, with common and scientific names, geographical range, habitat, and detailed description for each species, plus extra information on name changes and life cycle .74 new color plates showing 780 species, including live animals .115 new drawings showing shells and animals .Glossary, bibliography, and a list of shell clubs
Call Number: E-BOOKISBN: 0395697794Publication Date: 1995-04-01
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Shells by
The most comprehensive field guide available to North American seashells--a must-have for any enthusiast's day pack or home library--from the go-to reference source for over 18 million nature lovers. Featuring a durable vinyl binding and over 700 full-color identification photographs organized visually by color and shape, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Shells is an essential book for beach-combers and divers on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts of North America and the West Indies. Discover the sea's treasures with this handy guide, which features gorgeous photos and detailed information on living mollusks, abalone, periwinkles, conchs, limpets, oysters, clams, mussels, and cockles.
Call Number: QL411 .R43 1981ISBN: 0394519132Publication Date: 1981-08-12
The Book of Shells by
Who among us hasn’t marveled at the diversity and beauty of shells? Or picked one up, held it to our ear, and then gazed in wonder at its shape and hue? Many a lifelong shell collector has cut teeth (and toes) on the beaches of the Jersey Shore, the Outer Banks, or the coasts of Sanibel Island. Some have even dived to the depths of the ocean. But most of us are not familiar with the biological origin of shells, their role in explaining evolutionary history, and the incredible variety of forms in which they come. Shells are the external skeletons of mollusks, an ancient and diverse phylum of invertebrates that are in the earliest fossil record of multicellular life over 500 million years ago. There are over 100,000 kinds of recorded mollusks, and some estimate that there are over a million more that have yet to be discovered. Some breathe air, others live in fresh water, but most live in the ocean. They range in size from a grain of sand to a beach ball and in weight from a few grams to several hundred pounds. And in this lavishly illustrated volume, they finally get their full due. The Book of Shells offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing mollusk shells, each chosen to convey the range of shapes and sizes that occur across a range of species. Each shell is reproduced here at its actual size, in full color, and is accompanied by an explanation of the shell’s range, distribution, abundance, habitat, and operculum—the piece that protects the mollusk when it’s in the shell. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each shell and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait. The Matchless Cone, for instance, or Conus cedonulli, was one of the rarest shells collected during the eighteenth century. So much so, in fact, that a specimen in 1796 was sold for more than six times as much as a painting by Vermeer at the same auction. But since the advent of scuba diving, this shell has become far more accessible to collectors—though not without certain risks. Some species of Conus produce venom that has caused more than thirty known human deaths. The Zebra Nerite, the Heart Cockle, the Indian Babylon, the Junonia, the Atlantic Thorny Oyster—shells from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics, from the highest mountains to the ocean’s deepest recesses, are all on display in this definitive work.
Call Number: QL405 .H255 2010ISBN: 9780226315775Publication Date: 2010-06-30
Collectible Florida Shells by
This valuable addition to your collection of conchology books will help you identify the shells you collect in Gulf and Atlantic waters, as well as the tree snails of the Everglades, Caribbean and fossil shells, and other sea life cast upon the shore. Lots of color photographs make identification easy.
Call Number: QL415.F6 A23 1984ISBN: 9780915826117Publication Date: 1985-04-01
Florida's Seashells by
A visit to any Florida beach can spark curiosity about seashells. Satisfy questions about the names and lives of seashells by comparing beachcombing finds to color photographs representing hundreds of individual shells. This book heralds the diversity of Florida's seashells and presents them in the way they come to us on beaches. Knowing the names, stories, and varies appearances of seashells can sharpen a beachcomber's eyes to their beauty and rarity. Florida's seashells offer both collectors an outlet for the appreciation of nature's splendor. This guide includes species common to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, with full color photographs and maps throughout. Guide organization is simple, and images show shells as they would be found on beaches, not in museums. Other Pineapple Press guides for the curious beachcomber: Florida's Living Beaches Seashells of Georgia and the Carolinas Living Beaches of Georgia and the Carolinas
Call Number: QL415.F6 W56 2007ISBN: 9781561643875Publication Date: 2007-09-01
Florida's Fabulous Seashells and Seashore Life by Call Number: QL415.F6 W55 1988ISBN: 0911977058Publication Date: 1988-01-01
Shells by
With their exotic shapes and radiant colors, shells are among the most captivating of all nature's creations and have been highly valued by man since prehistoric times. Some cultures, recognizing their durability, used shells for trading; many, admiring their exquisite beauty, have featured them in their art and jewelry. This visually stunning book explores the remarkable variety of shells and offers an extensive guide to the world in which they thrive. Mollusks, the animals without backbones for which shells serve as protection and shelter, are second only to insects as the most widespread creatures on earth. These adaptable animals are vividly captured by underwater photography in their natural habitats, from the coral theater of the warm seas to the richly vegetated underwater meadows. The illustrations reveal the shells just as divers would encounter them. Using full-color diagrams and charts, Shells explains the complex anatomies of various mollusks as well as the intricate construction of their shells. For shell collectors of all levels, this book is full of practical advice. It explains how to classify, catalog, and preserve shells in collections that are both beautiful to look at and respectful of nature. In a comprehensive guide section, four hundred different types of shells of the world are described and illustrated, ranging from the most numerous to the rarest. This book, with its up-to-date text and in-depth portrait of the jewels of the sea will be invaluable to naturalists, divers, lovers of marine life, and shell collectors at any level.
Call Number: QL403 .G32 2000ISBN: 0789206315Publication Date: 2000-03-01
Molluscan Communities of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Areas by
Molluscan Communities of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Areas: Their Ecology and Biodiversityis the first comprehensive overview of the ecology and biodiversity of the phylum Mollusca in the area of Florida extending from the Dry Tortugas and Ten Thousand Islands in the west to Palm Beach in the east. The book provides detailed analyses of molluscan faunas found in 20 different ecosystems, emphasizing the marine environments of the Florida Keys archipelago and its extensive coral reef tracts. Full-page color illustrations portray living animals, unique Keys environments, underwater ecosystems, and satellite images. More than 1,200 species of macromollusks--in 86 gastropod families and 54 bivalve families--are recorded from the study area, with color plates illustrating over 550 of the region's most ecologically important species. For the first time in any book on the malacology of the Florida Keys area, the 20 marine ecosystems and their associated molluscan assemblages are arranged by the CMECS (Coastal Marine Ecological Classification Standard) system. This system emphasizes the hierarchical relationships determined by substrate type, bathymetry, and water chemistry. Along with complete species lists for every molluscan assemblage, this handy guide introduces ten newly-discovered gastropods, including new species in the families Muricidae, Buccinidae, Nassariidae, Naticidae, Turritellidae, and Olividae. Two new bivalves in the families Pectinidae and Arcidae are also described in a special systematic appendix. This richly illustrated book is written for the professional scientific audience interested in mollusks, marine ecology, evolution, and taxonomy as well as malacologists, naturalists, and shell collectors. It is also an ideal synoptic field guide, showing where individual species of mollusks can be found and within which ecosystems they occur.
Call Number: E-BOOKISBN: 9781482249194Publication Date: 2014-12-15
Florida's Seashells by
Florida's Seashells, the bestselling guide for beachcombers, is now updated and expanded in a new edition. This new volume has more shells identified and explained, with 287 species represented by over 400 full-color images and 175 range maps. This book showcases the diversity of Florida's seashells and presents them in the way they come to us on beaches. Knowing the names, stories, and varied appearances of seashells can sharpen a beachcomber's eyes to their beauty and rarity, and offer collectors an outlet for the appreciation of nature's splendor. The book's elegant organization allows easy identification of seashells common to the southeastern United States and the Caribbean. Other Pineapple Press guides for the curious beachcomber: Florida's Living Beaches Seashells of Georgia and the Carolinas Living Beaches of Georgia and the Carolinas
Call Number: QL415.F6 W56 2017ISBN: 9781561649822Publication Date: 2017-05-01
Seashore Animals of the Southeast by
The first comprehensive field guide to more than 300 marine animals that inhabit southeastern beaches.
Call Number: QL135 .R87 1988ISBN: 9780872495357Publication Date: 1988-05-01
Reef Creature Identification 3rd Edition by
First published in 1992, this guide has been significantly expanded in a new 3rd edition. The popular, user-friendly field guide, covering all major groups of marine invertebrates encountered by divers on coral reefs and adjacent habitats, has grown to include 900 species beautifully documented with more than 1200 underwater photographs -- nearly doubling the total in the previous editions. Les Wilk has joined Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach authoring the comprehensive new edition.
Call Number: QL125 .H85 2013ISBN: 9781878348531Publication Date: 2013-11-01
Florida's Living Beaches by
Florida has 1200 miles of coastline, almost 700 miles of which are sandy beaches. Exploring along those beaches offers encounters with myriads of plants, animals, minerals, and manmade objects--all are covered in this comprehensive guide with descriptive accounts of 822 items, 983 color images, and 431 maps. Beginning with the premise that beaches are themselves alive, this guide to the natural history of Florida beaches heralds the living things and metaphorical life near, on, and within the state's sandy margins. It is organized into Beach Features, Beach Animals, Beach Plants, Beach Minerals, and Hand of Man. In addition to being an identification guide, the book reveals much of the wonder and mystery between dune and sea along Florida's long coastline.
Call Number: QL169 .W58 2007ISBN: 9781561643868Publication Date: 2007-05-01
Beachcomber's Guide to Florida Marine Life by
This delightful guide describes the various coastal habitats, the most common, conspicuous plants and animals that inhabit them, and the dynamic forces that affect them.
Call Number: QH105.F6 A49 1994ISBN: 088415128XPublication Date: 1994-10-01
A field guide to coral reefs of the Caribbean and Florida by
With more than 500 species described and more than 400 illustrations, this guide provides quick and easy visual identification of fishes, mollusks, sponges, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and much more of the fauna found on the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Florida.
Call Number: QL125 .K36 1982ISBN: 0395316618Publication Date: 1982-04-01
Shells by
From nature's infinite variety of life in the sea, seashells are the prize. From the extraordinary architectural detail of the chambered nautilus to the varied hues of the senatorial scallop, Shells: Treasures of the Sea boasts more than three hundred colour photographs of shells from all over the globe in all of their striking diversity. The book also features rare photographs, many published here for the first time, of the fascinating creatures that create these elaborate shell homes. More than just the fancy of beachcombers and collectors, shells have been valued and appreciated for centuries by many societies. This splendid volume traces the long history of shells in arts and crafts, commerce and trade, science and nature. Here are examples of Iroquois money belts made from the shell of the quahog; a cowrie headdress used by a Mali witch doctor; the scallop shell motif in ancient art and architecture. In addition, the book features rare photographs of the fascinating creatures that live within and create shells, with information on their life cycles and habits.Also included is information on the shell's evolutionary history and classification, as well as current data on collecting practices and trends, and the environmental issues associated with collection and conservation. Shells: Treasures of the Sea is an art gallery of one of nature's unique creations, making it a book as suitable for a collector of shells as for a collector of fine art.
Call Number: QL404 .H55 1996ISBN: 0883633515Publication Date: 1998-07-28
Shells by
Simply the most astonishing book on shells ever published. Jacques Senders is a malacologist whose work allows him the opportunity to collect rare shells from all over the world. Shells presents his beautiful collection to the public for the first time through the stunning photographs of Paul Starosta and the expert commentary of other malacology professionals. Together, they have created a gorgeous and loving study of exquisite creations from the world's oceans. Shells surveys the history of shells and examines their connection with nature, art, architecture and other disciplines. It includes the latest research, and conveys the joys of collecting shells. Paul Starosta's remarkable photographs bring the reader close to the shells' transparent colors and intricate shapes. From Aristotle, to the explorers who created the first collections, to today's researchers and collectors, Shells offers a beautiful and comprehensive look at a fascinating subject. Beachcombers pick up shells and contemplate them. Scientists find them curious and extraordinarily beautiful. Shells are treasures to all humankind, and this book is an elegant tribute to our affectionate relationship with them. Among the book's highlights: How shells are formed Shells as the object of admiration, curiosity and scientific investigation How humans have utilized shells The origins of shells' names The science of mollusks, their lives and characteristics The different families of mollusks.
Call Number: QL403 .S73 2007ISBN: 9781554073214Publication Date: 2007-09-14
Spirals in Time by
Seashells, stretching from the deep past into the present day, are touchstones leading into fascinating realms of the natural world and cutting-edge science. Members of the phylum Mollusca are among the most ancient animals on the planet. Their shells provide homes for other animals, and across the ages, people have used shells not only as trinkets but also as a form of money, and as powerful symbols of sex and death, prestige and war. The science and natural history of shells are woven into a compelling narrative, revealing their cultural importance and the ways they have been used by humans over the millennia. (Seashells have even been tapped as a source of mind-bending drugs.) Marine biologist Helen Scales shows how seashells have been sculpted by the fundamental rules of mathematics and evolution; how they gave us color, gems, food, and new medicines. After surviving multiple mass extinctions millions of years ago, molluscs and their shells still face an onslaught of anthropogenic challenges, including climate change and corrosive oceans. But rather than dwelling on all that is lost, Scales emphasizes that seashells offer an accessible way to reconnect people with nature, helping to bridge the gap between ourselves and the living world.Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashellsshows why nature matters, and reveals the hidden wonders that you can hold in the palm of your hand.
Call Number: QL405 .S33 2015ISBN: 9781472911360Publication Date: 2015-07-21
The World's Most Beautiful Seashells by
Presents photographs of shells collected from around the world, chosen on the basis of their beautiful colors or forms, and includes explanatory text and captions.
Call Number: QL403 .H55 1995ISBN: 9781884942037Publication Date: 1995-11-01
A Field Guide to Venomous and Medically Important Invertebrates of the World by
Though many are harmless and even beneficial, invertebrates are some of the world's most feared and dangerous creatures. Guide to Venomous and Medically Important Invertebratesdescribes the health threats posed by invertebrate groups worldwide, from physical pain and annoyance to disease transmission risk. Featuring clear photographs, distribution maps and descriptions of biological, physical and behavioral characteristics of key groups, this book aids identification of potentially harmful invertebrates. It also summarizes personal protection measures to reduce the risk of attack and disease, and provides guidance on treatment. This book will help to protect the health of travellers and serve as a reference for medical personnel working in high-risk areas, as well as those interested in entomology. Doctors David Bowles, James Swaby and Harold Harlan are retired United States military medical entomologists. They have more than 90 years' collective experience working with and publishing on venomous and medically important invertebrates from around the world.
Call Number: E-BOOKISBN: 9781486308842Publication Date: 2018-11-02
A Natural History of Shells by
Geerat Vermeij wrote this "celebration of shells" to share his enthusiasm for those supremely elegant creations and what they can teach us about nature. Most popular books on shells emphasize the identification of species, but Vermeij uses shells as a way to explore major ideas in biology. How are shells built? How do they work? How did they evolve? The author lucidly and charmingly demonstrates how shells give us insights into the lives of animals in our own day as well as in the distant geological past.
Call Number: QL403 .V47 1993ISBN: 069108596XPublication Date: 1993-11-07
Seashells by
They have done time as jewelry and tools, as medicines, currency, and symbols of industry--and they have intrigued people, from beach-combing toddlers to serious scientists, since time began. Native interest meets natural history in this exquisitely illustrated account of the science and culture of seashells. With closeup photography and basic explanations of different shell types--univalves, bivalves, and cephalopods--how they are formed, what mollusks inhabit them, their morphology and life cycles, and much more, this is the book for anyone with an interest in seashells. This book includes information on the bewildering array of shell shapes, colors, sizes, and types, and describes where the different shells can be found throughout the world. As informative as it is visually arresting, the book will appeal to amateur and expert, collector and casual beachcomber.
Call Number: QL403 .T58 2007ISBN: 9780760325933Publication Date: 2007-11-15
Biology and Ecology of Pharmaceutical Marine Mollusks by
Key features: Serves as a standard reference for researchers, teachers and students of various disciplines such as Fisheries Science, Marine Biology, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Natural Products, Biochemistry, and Pharmacy, their libraries, and as a valuable guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs Presents the taxonomy, common name, global distribution, and habitat of 275 species of marine molluscs Provides the diagnostic features and pharmaceutical compounds (along with their chemical structure and activities) of 275 species of marine molluscs Includes more than 500 detailed illustrations Covers bivalves, gastropods, and cephalopods Biology and Ecology of Pharmaceutical Marine Molluscs is the first comprehensive book of its kind written by scientists from both the Marine Biology and Pharmacy disciplines to fill the long-felt need for a marine natural products book devoted exclusively to molluscs. The taxonomy, common name, global distribution, habitat, diagnostic features and pharmaceutical compounds (along with their activities) of 275 species of marine molluscs are given in this comprehensive work, with accompanying illustrations. Bioactive substances isolated from marine invertebrates such as poriferans, coelenterates, molluscs, echinoderms, bryozoans and tunicates have been reported to possess antiviral, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antifungal, antihelmintic and anticancer activities. Among the marine invertebrates, marine molluscs have significant commercial applications; for instance, as a source of food, ornaments and production of lime. A few species of molluscs have also been reported to act as scavengers in cleaning the environment and pollution indicators. Recently, many molluscan species have been identified as a potential source of secondary metabolites, having a wide range of pharmaceutical applications. This should be a standard reference for students, researchers and teachers of disciplines such as Pharmacy, Fisheries Science, Marine Biology, Life Sciences, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, as well as a valuable guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs from marine molluscs.
Call Number: E-BOOKISBN: 9781351133388Publication Date: 2019-01-10
