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Conchology (from Ancient Greek κόγχος (kónkhos) 'cockle' and -λογία (-logía) 'study of') is the study ofmollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect ofmalacology, the study ofmolluscs; 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 terrestrial and freshwater mollusc shells, as well asseashells and extends to the study of agastropod'soperculum.
Conchology is now sometimes seen as an archaic study, because relying on only one aspect of an organism'smorphology can be misleading. However, a shell often gives at least some insight into molluscantaxonomy, 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 classes:Gastropoda (snails only),Bivalvia (e.g.clams),Polyplacophora (the chitons), andScaphopoda (the tusk shells).Cephalopods only have small internal shells, with the exception of theNautiloidea. Some groups, such as the sea slugnudibranchs, have lost their shells altogether, while in others it has been replaced by aprotein support structure.
The termsshell collector andconchologist can be regarded as two distinct categories. Not all shell collectors are conchologists; some are primarily concerned with theaesthetic 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.
Shell collecting, the precursor of conchology, dates back thousands of years. Archaeologists have sometimes uncoveredStone 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.
During theRenaissance people began collecting natural objects of beauty for privatecabinets 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 priestFilippo Bonanni published the two-volume atlasRicreazione 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.[1] In 1692Martin Lister publishedHistoria Conchyliorum, a comprehensive conchological text with more than 1,000engraved plates.
George Rumpf, or "Rumphius", (1627–1702) published the first genuine mollusc taxonomy. He suggested the categories "single shelled ones" (modernPolyplacophora,limpets, andabalone), "snails or whelks" (Gastropoda), and "two-shelled ones" (Bivalvia). He did not include the tusk shells or the internal shells of the cephalopods.
Many of Rumpf's terms were later adopted byCarl Linnaeus. The study ofzoology, including conchology, was revolutionized by Linnaeus and his system ofbinomial 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 differentphyla at the time.[2] The English word "conchology" was coined in the 1770s by the British Sephardi naturalistEmanuel Mendes da Costa, who publishedThe Elements of Conchology: or, an Introduction to the Knowledge of Shells in London in 1776.[3]
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 asThe Linnæan System of Conchology.Hugh Cuming (1791–1865) is famous for his huge collection and numerous discoveries of new species.[4]Thomas Say wrote the fundamental workAmerican 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 theBailey-Matthews Shell Museum. His best-known works areAmerican Seashells,Seashells of the World, andThe Kingdom of the Seashell.John DuPont is also known for his extensive collection which he donated to theDelaware Museum of Natural History in 1984. The Japanese emperorHirohito 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 theAustralian Museum, authoredAustralian 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.[5]
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[update] the world's largest assemblage of mollusc shells was held by theSmithsonian Institution, which has c. 1 million lots[6] representing perhaps 50,000 species.[7] 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.
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Like other scientific fields, conchologists have a number of local, national, and international organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas.
Shells have been featured on over 5,000postage stamps worldwide, and have been featured on many coins including theBahamian dollar (1974), theCuban peso (1981), theHaitian gourde (1973), theNepalese rupee (1989) andPhilippine peso (1993).
