World Wide Snails

Following the trails of Hawai‘i’s snails to explore the simultaneously biological and cultural significance of extinction. In this time of extinctions, the humble snail rarely gets a mention. And yet snails are disappearing faster than any other species. In A World in a Shell, Thom van Dooren offers a collection of snail stories from Hawai‘i—once home to more than 750 species of land snails, almost two-thirds of which are now gone. Following snail trails through forests, laboratories, museums, and even a military training facility, and meeting with scientists and Native Hawaiians, van Dooren explores ongoing processes of ecological and cultural loss as they are woven through with possibilities for hope, care, mourning, and resilience. Van Dooren recounts the fascinating history of snail decline in the Hawaiian Islands: from deforestation for agriculture, timber, and more, through the nineteenth century shell collecting mania of missionary settlers, and on to the contemporary impacts of introduced predators. Along the way he asks how both snail loss and conservation efforts have been tangled up with larger processes of colonization, militarization, and globalization. These snail stories provide a potent window into ongoing global process of environmental and cultural change, including the largely unnoticed disappearance of countless snails, insects, and other less charismatic species. Ultimately, van Dooren seeks to cultivate a sense of wonder and appreciation for our damaged planet, revealing the world of possibilities and relationships that lies coiled within a snail’s shell.

This book introduces updated information on conservation issues, providing an overview of what is needed to advance the global conservation of freshwater decapods such as freshwater crabs, crayfish, and shrimps. Biodiversity loss in general is highest in organisms that depend on intact freshwater habitats, because freshwater ecosystems worldwide are suffering intense threats from multiple sources. Our understanding of the number and location of threatened species of decapods, and of the nature of their extinction threats has improved greatly in recent years, and has enabled the development of species conservation strategies. This volume focuses on saving threatened species from extinction, and emphasizes the importance of the successful implementation of conservation action plans through cooperation between scientists, conservationists, educators, funding agencies, policy makers, and conservation agencies.

So attached was the author Patricia Highsmith to snails that they became her constant travelling companions. Often hidden in a large handbag, they provided her with comfort and companionship in what she perceived to be a hostile world. Theirs was perhaps an unusual relationship; for most of us the tentacled snail with his sticky trail might be a delicious treat served up in garlic butter but certainly not an affectionate pet. As well, for many a gardener, opinions on the snail and slug (which is a just a snail without a shell) have been shaped by the harm they inflict on vegetable plants and seedlings. With Snail, Peter Williams wishes to change our perspectives on this little but much-maligned creature. Beginning with an overview of our relationship with snails, slugs, and sea snails, Williams moves on to examine snail evolution; snail behavior and habitat; snails as food, medicine, and the source of useful chemicals and dyes; snail shells as collectible objects; and snails in literature, art, and popular culture. Finally, in this appreciative account of the snail, Williams offers a plea for a reconsideration of the snail as a dignified, ancient creature that deserves our respect. Containing beautiful illustrations and written in an approachable, informal style, Snail will help readers get beyond the shell and slime to discover the fascinating creature inside.

Summarises the current state of various studies investigating snail-parasite relationships.

The definitive resource on the biology and evolution of freshwater mollusks. There are more species of freshwater mollusks—well over 5,000—than all the mammal species of the world. Freshwater mollusks are also arguably the most endangered fauna on the planet. Yet few references exist for researchers, shell enthusiasts, and general readers who are interested in learning more about these fascinating creatures. In Freshwater Mollusks of the World, Charles Lydeard and Kevin S. Cummings fill that void with contributions from dozens of renowned mollusk experts. Touching on 34 families of freshwater gastropods (snails) and 9 families of freshwater bivalves (mussels and clams), each chapter provides a synthesis of the latest research on the diversity and evolutionary relationships of the family. The book also includes • a look at how evolving DNA sequencing data techniques help shed light on mollusk taxonomy • distribution maps of each family's biogeographic locales • a representative photo and distribution map for each of the freshwater mollusk families • the latest information on each family's conservation status—and how to reverse the habitat destruction, modification, and pollution that threatens it • a discussion of the ecological and economic damages caused by invasive mollusk species, as well as their role as disease vectors Mollusks provide us with amazing biogeographical insights: their ancient fossil record goes back over 500 million years, and their distribution patterns are a reflection of past continental and climate changes. The only comprehensive summary of systematic and biodiversity information on freshwater mollusk families throughout the world, this reference is a must for malacologists, limnologists, ichthyologists, stream ecologists, biogeographers, and conservation biologists. Contributors: Christian Albrecht, Rüdiger Bieler, Bert Van Bocxlaer, David C. Campbell, Stephanie A. Clark, Catharina Clewing, Robert H. Cowie, Kevin S. Cummings, Diana Delicado, Hiroshi Fukuda, Hiroaki Fukumori, Matthias Glaubrecht, Daniel L. Graf, Diego E. Gutiérrez Gregoric, Kenneth A. Hayes, Yasunori Kano, Taehwan Lee, Charles Lydeard, Nathaniel T. Marshall, Paula M. Mikkelsen, Marco T. Neiber, Timea P. Neusser, Winston Ponder, Michael Schrödl, Alena A. Shirokaya, Björn Stelbrink, Carol A. Stepien, Ellen E. Strong, Maxim V. Vinarski, Amy R. Wethington, Thomas Wilke