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Malacology

Study of molluscs

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Friendly squid visit at night in Komodo National Park. Probably Sepioteuthis lessoniana .
Nhobgood · CC BY-SA 3.0

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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, Linnaeus 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.

The term "malacology" was invented by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz in 1814 and, probably independently, by Ducrotay de Blainville in 1825.

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GenusTaxonomic rank above species and below familyFamily (taxonomy)Taxonomic rank between genus and orderEndemismState of species being unique to a locationCladeGroup of a common ancestor and all of their descendantsGenomeAll genetic material of an organismOrder (taxonomy)Taxonomic rank between class and family