Malacology
Malacology is the study of mollusks. This includes animals like octopus, snails, slugs, and clams. It is the second largest phylum of animals, making them one of the most successful groups on the planet. There are over 80,000 described species of mollusks with many more left to be discovered. Mullusca is composed of 8 recognized classes including Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Polyplacophora, Scaphapoda, Monoplacophorans, the Aplacophorans, Caudofoveata and Solenogastres, and Bivalvia.
How to use Guides
Shell identification guides become easier to use with some background on the morphological features present in different shell types. This "how to use" sections provides some of that background information on shell morphology.
Guide Organization
The United States East Coast shell identification guide is organized so that it can be used as a single large guide or as a set of smaller guides for each of the 18 states currently included in it.
