View source for Biology:Conchology

{{Short description|Study of mollusc shells}}
[[File:Calliostoma tigris.JPG|thumb|''[[Biology:Calliostoma tigris|Calliostoma tigris]]'']]
[[File:Sea shell (Trinidad & Tobago 2009).jpg|thumb|Shell of ''[[Biology:Lobatus gigas|Lobatus gigas]]'', the queen conch]]

'''Conchology''' ({{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|κόγχος}}'' ({{grc-transl|κόγχος}})|[[Biology:Cockle (bivalve)|cockle]]||-logy|}}) is the study of [[Biology:Mollusc shell|mollusc shell]]s. Conchology is one aspect of [[Biology:Malacology|malacology]], the study of molluscs; however, malacology is the study of molluscs as whole organisms, whereas conchology is confined to the study of their shells. It includes the study of land and freshwater mollusc shells as well as [[Biology:Seashell|seashell]]s and extends to the study of a gastropod's [[Biology:Operculum (gastropod)|operculum]].

Conchology is now sometimes seen as an archaic study, because relying on only one aspect of an organism's [[Biology:Morphology|morphology]] can be misleading. However, a shell often gives at least some insight into molluscan [[Biology:Taxonomy|taxonomy]], and historically the shell was often the only part of exotic species that was available for study. Even in current museum collections it is common for the dry material (shells) to greatly exceed the amount of material that is preserved whole in alcohol.

Conchologists mainly deal with four molluscan orders: the gastropods (snails), bivalves (clams), [[Biology:Polyplacophora|Polyplacophora]] (chitons) and [[Biology:Scaphopoda|Scaphopoda]] (tusk shells). [[Biology:Cephalopod|Cephalopod]]s only have small internal shells, with the exception of the [[Biology:Nautiloidea|Nautiloidea]]. Some groups, such as the sea slug [[Biology:Nudibranch|nudibranch]]s, have lost their shells altogether, while in others it has been replaced by a [[Biology:Protein|protein]] support structure.

== Versus shell collecting ==
[[File:Seashell vendor.jpeg|thumb|A vendor in Tanzania with a variety of large seashells for sale]]

The terms ''shell collector'' and ''conchologist'' can be regarded as two distinct categories. Not all shell collectors are conchologists; some are primarily concerned with the aesthetic value of shells instead of their scientific study. It is also true that not all conchologists are shell collectors; this type of research only requires access to private or institutional shell collections. There is some debate in the conchological community, with some people regarding all shell collectors (regardless of motivation) as conchologists.

== History ==
Shell collecting, the precursor of conchology, dates back thousands of years.  Archaeologists have sometimes uncovered Stone Age oceanic seashell necklaces in areas far from the ocean, indicating that they were traded, and shell jewellery has been found at archaeological sites around the world.

[[File:Illustrations of various sea shells Wellcome L0060694.jpg | thumb|right | Sea shells from ''Recreatione dell'occhio e della mente'' by Filippo Bonanni]]During the Renaissance people began collecting natural objects of beauty for private [[Earth:Cabinet of curiosities|cabinets of curiosities]]. Because of their attractiveness, variety, durability and ubiquity, shells frequently became a large part of such collections. Scientific interest began to develop towards the end of the 17th century, and in 1681 The Jesuit priest Filippo Bonanni published the two-volume atlas ''Ricreazione dell'occhio et della mente nell'osservazione delle chiocciole'' ("Recreation of the eye and of the mind in the observation of molluscs"), the first treatise devoted entirely to mollusc shells.<ref>{{cite journal|pages=192–196|journal=Early Modern Zoology: The Construction of Animals in Science, Literature and the Visual Arts|publisher=Brill|year=2007|title=Shell Collecting. On 17th-Century Conchology, Curiosity Cabinets And Still Life Painting|author=Karin Leonhard|isbn=9789047422365|doi=10.1163/ej.9789004131880.i-657.52}}</ref> In 1692 Martin Lister  published ''Historia Conchyliorum'', a comprehensive conchological text with more than 1,000 engraved plates.
[[File:Lister Martin conchs 1770.png|thumb|200px|right|A plate from Lister's book, showing what he calls ''buccinis shells'']]
George Rumpf, or "Rumphius", (1627–1702) published the first genuine mollusc taxonomy. He suggested the categories "single shelled ones" (modern [[Biology:Polyplacophora|Polyplacophora]], [[Biology:Limpet|limpet]]s, and [[Biology:Abalone|abalone]]), "snails or whelks" ([[Biology:Gastropoda|Gastropoda]]), and "two-shelled ones" ([[Biology:Bivalvia|Bivalvia]]).  He did not include the tusk shells or the internal shells of the cephalopods.

Many of Rumpf's terms were later adopted by [[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Carl Linnaeus]]. The study of [[Biology:Zoology|zoology]], including conchology, was revolutionized by Linnaeus and his system of [[Biology:Binomial nomenclature|binomial nomenclature]]. Six hundred eighty three of the approximately 4,000 animal species Linnaeus described are now considered to be molluscs, although Linnaeus placed them in several different [[Biology:Phylum|phyla]] at the time.<ref name="Ref_">{{cite web|url=http://www.jaxshells.org/|title=Jacksonville Shells – WWW.JAXSHELLS.ORG|work=jaxshells.org|access-date=2008-09-28|archive-date=2017-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802090848/http://www.jaxshells.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> The English word "conchology" was coined in the 1770s by the British Sephardi naturalist [[Biography:Emanuel Mendes da Costa|Emanuel Mendes da Costa]], who published [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/46649#page/7/mode/1up/ ''The Elements of Conchology: or, an Introduction to the Knowledge of Shells''] in London in 1776.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/38225/|title=''Oxford English Dictionary'', s.v. conchology}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Since 1700 a number of prominent conchologists have published their studies of shells. John Mawe (1764–1829) produced arguably the first conchology guidebook, ''The Voyager's Companion or Shell-Collector's Pilot'', as well as ''The Linnæan System of Conchology''. Hugh Cuming (1791–1865) is famous for his huge collection and numerous discoveries of new species.<ref>{{cite journal |title=British Pioneers in Recent Conchological Science. 1662–1858 |journal=Journal of Conchology |author=J. Cosmo Melville |volume=6|date=Jan 1890|pages=190–223|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h-4KAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA190}}</ref> Thomas Say wrote the fundamental work ''American Conchology, or Descriptions of the Shells of North America, Illustrated From Coloured Figures From Original Drawings, Executed from Nature'' in six volumes (1830–1834).

R. Tucker Abbott was arguably the most prominent conchologist of the 20th century, authoring dozens of books and working as museum director of the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. His most best-known works are ''American Seashells'', ''Seashells of the World'', and ''The Kingdom of the Seashell''.  John DuPont is also known for his extensive collection which he donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History in 1984. The Japanese emperor Hirohito also amassed a huge collection, and was a competent and respected amateur conchologist.

In 1950, Joyce Allan, an Australian conchologist working as curator of shells at the Australian Museum, authored ''Australian Shells.'' This was the first book to catalogue the majority of Australian molluscs in detail and was highly regarded within the scientific community and mollusc collectors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joyce Allan, Conchologist |url=https://australian.museum/about/history/people/joyce-allan-conchologist/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=The Australian Museum |language=en |archive-date=2016-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222075032/http://australianmuseum.net.au/joyce-allan-conchologist |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Museums ==
Many museums worldwide contain very large and scientifically important shell collections. However, in most cases these are research collections not as readily accessible to the general public as exhibits.

{{As of|2020}} the world's largest assemblage of mollusc shells was held by the Smithsonian Institution, which has c. 1 million lots<ref name="Sierwald2018">{{cite journal |last1=Sierwald |first1=P. |last2=Bieler |first2=R. |last3=Shea |first3=E.K. |last4=Rosenberg |first4=G. |title=Mobilizing Mollusks: Status Update on Mollusk Collections in the U.S.A. and Canada |journal=American Malacological Bulletin |date=1 December 2018 |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=177 |doi=10.4003/006.036.0202|doi-access=free }}</ref> representing perhaps 50,000 species.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A one-of-a-kind shell collection|url=https://www.burkemuseum.org/news/one-kind-shell-collection|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Burke Museum|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018222150/https://www.burkemuseum.org/news/one-kind-shell-collection|url-status=live}}</ref>  The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture also has a large collection which was donated by Dr. Phil Nudelman in 2013. It includes about 100,000 specimens and 24,000 species, mostly from the Indo-Pacific region, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.

=== US ===
* Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
* [[Biology:American Museum of Natural History|American Museum of Natural History]], {{wipe|New York City}}
* Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel Island, Florida: the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to shells.
* Charleston Marine Life Center, [[Organization:Oregon Institute of Marine Biology|Oregon Institute of Marine Biology]] in Charleston Oregon
* Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, Colorado: approximately 17,500 shell lots.
* [[Biology:Museum of Comparative Zoology|Museum of Comparative Zoology]] at Harvard, {{wipe|Massachusetts}}
* National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. – The Smithsonian has c. 1 million lots, the largest worldwide
<ref name="Sierwald2018"/>

=== Europe ===
* Austria, [[Place:Vienna|Vienna]] – Naturhistorisches Museum
* Belgium, Brussels – Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, one of the three largest collections
* {{wipe|France}}, [[Place:Paris|Paris]] – Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 900,000 lots, 5 million specimens<ref>{{cite web |title=Marine, terrestrial, and freshwater molluscs |url=https://www.mnhn.fr/en/collections/collection-groups/marine-invertebrates/marine-terrestrial-and-freshwater-molluscs |publisher=Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918150740/https://www.mnhn.fr/en/collections/collection-groups/marine-invertebrates/marine-terrestrial-and-freshwater-molluscs |url-status=live }}</ref>
* {{wipe|Germany}}
** Frankfurt – Naturmuseum Senckenberg, 700,000 lots (33,000 living taxa, 12,000 fossil taxa)<ref>{{cite web |title=Malacology Collection |url=https://www.senckenberg.de/en/institutes/senckenberg-research-institute-natural-history-museum-frankfurt/division-marine-zoology/section-malakologie-2/malacology-collection/ |publisher=Senckenberg |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=8 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908005419/https://www.senckenberg.de/en/institutes/senckenberg-research-institute-natural-history-museum-frankfurt/division-marine-zoology/section-malakologie-2/malacology-collection/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
** [[Place:Berlin|Berlin]] – [[Biography:Natural History Museum, Berlin|Berlin's Natural History Museum]]
* Netherlands, Leiden – Natural History Museum, Leiden
* Sweden, [[Place:Stockholm|Stockholm]] – Swedish Museum of Natural History
* {{wipe|United Kingdom}}<ref name="GBcollections">{{cite web |title=The collections |url=https://gbmolluscatypes.ac.uk/collections |publisher=Mollusca types in Great Britain |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127045119/https://gbmolluscatypes.ac.uk/collections |url-status=live }}</ref>
** [[Place:London|London]] – [[Biology:Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] 8 million specimens, 60,000 type specimens<ref name="GBcollections"/>
** [[Place:Cardiff|Cardiff]] – National Museum Cardiff, second largest UK collection, over 2 million specimens<ref>{{cite web |title=Mollusca |url=https://museum.wales/curatorial/natural-sciences/mollusca/ |publisher=National Museum Wales |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=14 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814234638/https://museum.wales/curatorial/natural-sciences/mollusca/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
** Manchester – [[Biology:Manchester Museum|Manchester Museum]], fourth largest UK collection; 166,000 lots.<ref>{{cite journal
 | journal = ZooKeys
 | pages = 1–46
 | title = Catalogue of type specimens of molluscs in the collection of The Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, UK
 | last = McGhie
 | first = Henry A.
 | date = 17 December 2008
 | issue = 4
 | doi = 10.3897/zookeys.4.32
 | url = http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/32
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090727231254/http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/article/view/32
 | archive-date = 27 July 2009
 | url-status = dead
 | doi-access = free
 }}</ref>
** Cambridge – Cambridge University Museum of Zoology, over 100,000 lots<ref>{{cite web |title=Molluscs |date=24 March 2018 |url=https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/collections-research/collections-archives/molluscs |publisher=University of Cambridge |access-date=15 September 2020 |archive-date=23 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023122953/https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/collections-research/collections-archives/molluscs |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Organizations ==
Like other scientific fields, conchologists have a number of local, national, and international organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas.

* Association Française de Conchyliologie 
*Belgian Society for Conchology<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bvc-gloriamaris.be/|title=BVC|work=bvc-gloriamaris.be|access-date=2006-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518154554/http://www.bvc-gloriamaris.be/|archive-date=2009-05-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Club Conchylia, the German/Austrian Society for Shell Collecting<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.club-conchylia.de/|title=German Shell Collector's Club|work=club-conchylia.de|access-date=2006-12-12|archive-date=2017-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810052536/http://www.club-conchylia.de/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conchsoc.org/|title=Home page – The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland|work=conchsoc.org|access-date=2006-12-12|archive-date=2018-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809162700/http://conchsoc.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Conchologists of America<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/ |title=conchologistsofamerica.org |access-date=2006-12-12 |archive-date=2017-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812024340/http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Conquiliologistas do Brasil
*Nederlandse Malacologische Vereniging<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www/spirula.nl |title=spirula.nl |access-date=2012-08-15 |archive-date=2020-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919163617/http://www/spirula.nl |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Unitas Malacologica

== Depictions of shells on stamps and coins ==
Shells have been featured on over 5,000 postage stamps worldwide, and have been featured on many coins including the [[Finance:Bahamian dollar|Bahamian dollar]] (1974), the Cuban peso (1981), the Haitian gourde (1973), the [[Finance:Nepalese rupee|Nepalese rupee]] (1989) and [[Finance:Philippine peso|Philippine peso]] (1993).

==See also==
*Midden

== References ==
{{Reflist|28em}}

== Sources ==
* National Geographic Magazine, March 1969, "The Magic Lure of Sea Shells", Paul A. Zahl
* Seashells of the Northern Hemisphere, 1990, Surrey, R. Tucker Abbott

== External links ==
* [http://www.shellmuseum.org/ The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum] in Sanibel Island
* [http://www.worldwideconchology.com/MainFrames.shtml A site for amateurs]

=== Conchological organizations ===
*[http://www.xenophora.org/index.php Association Française de Conchyliologie]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060206223251/http://www.conchologistsofamerica.org/home/ Conchologists of America]
* [http://www.conchsoc.org/ Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland]
* [http://www.club-conchylia.de/ Club Conchylia, the German/Austrian Society for Shell Collecting]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090518154554/http://www.bvc-gloriamaris.be/ Belgian Society for Conchology]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061208113430/http://www.conchasbrasil.org.br/default2.asp Conquiliologistas do Brasil]

{{Zoology}}

[[Category:Conchology| ]]
[[Category:Subfields of zoology]]

{{Sourceattribution|Conchology}}