Overview

Excerpt from Occasional Papers on Mollusks, Vol. 3 During the last 30 years malacology has enjoyed increasing attention. In the Preface to Volume 1 of Occasional Papers it was stated that malacological litera ture in 1954 amounted to some 1000 articles in more than 200 journals and that the phylum contained an estimated species. In the interim, both the estimate Of the total number of living species of mollusks and the annual volume of published literature have changed. In a recent Zoological Record (vol. 107, 1974) which covers the litera ture for the year 1970, articles dealing with mollusks number over 2500, published in several hundred journals by over 1000 authors, representing more than a two-fold increase in twenty years. The species concept in zoology, as currently understood, emerged from the synthesis Of ideas in taxonomy, genetics and paleontology. The New Systematics, which recognizes that species are unique, dynamic, natural units consisting of interbreeding populations with characteristic genetic, physiological and morphological features, has made a reappraisal of the species-level diversity of mollusks necessary. Detailed reference to more recent and critical investigations lends credence to the contention that there are fewer than living species (boss. 1971. Occ. Papers Moll., Harvard Univ., 3: 81 In well studied groups, which have received careful taxonomic revision and monographic review, virtually every species has been named more than once and frequently several times. In highly variable organisms such as pearly-freshwater mus sels, a few species have hundreds Of synonyms. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Full Product Details

9781332304905

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available