thumb|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, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (malakós), meaning "soft", and λόγος (lógos), meaning "study", 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 after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, and cephalopods, along with numerous other kinds, many of which have shells.

Fields within malacological research include studies of mollusk taxonomy, ecology and evolution. Several subdivisions of malacology exist, including conchology, devoted to the study of mollusk shells, limacology, the study of gastropods, 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.

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).

History

The study of mollusks long predates the modern field of malacology. Aristotle included what we now call mollusks in his Historia animalium as two separate groups: testaceans (Ostracoderma) and mollusks (Malakia). In 1758, Linneaus included modern mollusks in the class Vermes, under the orders Intestina, Mollusca, and Testacea. At this time, taxonomy was largely based on shells, as examining internal anatomy was thought to be too challenging due to lack of specimens.

In 1795, French naturalist Georges Cuvier described a combined taxon of both shelled and non-shelled mollusks as a distinct group based on internal characteristics of "oviparous reproduction, white blood, existence of heart, blood vessels and gills, liver" and external characteristics of "mantle and tentacles." However, he retained conchological methods for separating genera.

  • American Malacological Society
  • Association of Polish Malacologists ()
  • Belgian Malacological Society () – French speaking
  • – Dutch speaking
  • Brazilian Malacological Society ()
  • 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 ()
  • Hungarian Malacological Society ()
  • Italian Malacological Society ()
  • Malacological Society of Australasia
  • Malacological Society of London
  • Malacological Society of the Philippines, Inc.
  • Mexican Malacological Society ()
  • Spanish Malacological Society ()
  • 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. They include:

  • American Journal of Conchology (1865–1872)
  • American Malacological Bulletin
  • Basteria
  • Bulletin of Russian Far East Malacological Society
  • Fish & Shellfish Immunology
  • Folia conchyliologica
  • Folia Malacologica
  • Heldia
  • Johnsonia
  • Journal de Conchyliologie – volumes 1850–1922 at Biodiversity Heritage Library; volumes 1850–1938 at Bibliothèque nationale de France
  • Journal of Conchology
  • Journal of Medical and Applied Malacology
  • Journal of Molluscan Studies
  • Malacologia
  • Malacologica Bohemoslovaca
  • Malacological Review – volume 1 (1968) – today, contents of volume 27 (1996) – volume 40 (2009)
  • Soosiana
  • Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie (1844–1853) → Malakozoologische Blätter (1854–1878)
  • Miscellanea Malacologica
  • Mollusca
  • Molluscan Research – impact factor: 0.606 (2007)
  • Mitteilungen der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft
  • Occasional Molluscan Papers (since 2008)
  • Occasional Papers on Mollusks (1945–1989), 5 volumes
  • Ruthenica
  • Strombus
  • Tentacle – The Newsletter of the Mollusc Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  • The Conchologist (1891–1894) → The Journal of Malacology (1894–1905)
  • The Festivus – a journal which started as a club newsletter in 1970, published by the San Diego Shell Club
  • 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)
  • The Veliger – impact factor: 0.606 (2003)
  • 貝類学雑誌 Venus (Japanese Journal of Malacology)
  • Vita Malacologica a Dutch journal published in English – one themed issue a year
  • Vita Marina (discontinued in May 2001)

Museums

thumb|Malacological Museum in [[Makarska, Croatia (entrance)]]

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

Notes

References

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.
  • Periodicals about molluscs at WorldCat