Malacology

Malacology is the study of mollusks, which are soft-bodied animals that make up one of the largest groups of animals on Earth. The word comes from Ancient Greek words for "soft" and "study." Mollusks include familiar creatures like snails, slugs, clams, and cephalopods such as octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish. Many of these animals have shells that protect them.

Scientists who study malacology look at many aspects of these animals, including how to classify them, where they live, and how they change over time. There are even special areas of study just for shells, for slug-like animals called gastropods, and for cephalopods. This field also helps us understand how some mollusks can spread diseases, which is important for keeping people and animals healthy.

Researchers use many tools and methods to learn about mollusks, both in the wild and in laboratories. By studying these amazing creatures, scientists can discover more about our natural world and how all living things are connected.

History

Malacology began as a simpler study called conchology, which mainly focused on collecting and classifying shells. Over time, it grew into a broader field of biological study.

In 1795, a French scientist named Georges Cuvier introduced a new way to group animals without backbones. He showed that mollusks were a special group with shared features, which helped turn conchology into malacology. Later in the early 1800s, scientists started looking more closely at the inside of mollusks, not just their shells. This led to the official naming of malacology in 1825, highlighting the soft bodies of these creatures. Since then, malacology has grown to include studying how mollusks evolve, their classifications, and their roles in nature.

Malacologists

Main article: List of malacologists

People who study malacology are called malacologists. Some malacologists focus on studying the shells of mollusks and are known as conchologists. Others study a special group of mollusks called Cephalopoda, and they are known as teuthologists.

Societies

There are many groups of scientists around the world who study mollusks together. Some of these groups include the American Malacological Society, the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the Dutch Malacological Society, the Estonian Malacological Society, and the Malacological Society of London. These societies help scientists share their discoveries and learn from each other. Other groups include the Argentine Malacological Society, the Association of Polish Malacologists, and many more from countries all over the world.

Journals

Many journals around the world study mollusks, with over 150 being published from more than 30 countries. These journals share research and discoveries about mollusks, including snails, clams, and octopuses. Some well-known journals include:

• American Journal of Conchology (1865–1872)
• American Malacological Bulletin
• Archiv für Molluskenkunde
• 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

Many museums around the world have special collections and exhibits about mollusks, which include snails, slugs, clams, and octopuses. Some of these museums are known for their detailed research and displays.

Museums with notable malacological collections include the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the American Museum of Natural History, the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, the Cau del Cargol Shell Museum, the Maria Mitchell Association, the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, the National Museum of Natural History, France, the Natural History Museum in London, Rinay, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, and the Smithsonian Institution.