philippine marine mollusks volume IV

The “Philippine Marine Mollusks” volumes are setting the modern standards for Marine Indo Pacific Mollusks in general. They are a summary of the confirmed knowledge on Philippine marine mollusks and cover all groups of mollusks, including nudibranches. The books cover over 3600 species and count about 10000 photographs on approximately 1315 color plates in A4 format. Hundreds of species are shown alive with underwater photographs.

Volume IV starts with a foreword of Gisela P. Padilla-Concepcion, Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where she occupies the Chair of the Marine Science Institute. This is followed by a foreword of Dr. Yves Finet from the Natural History Museum of the City of Geneva, Switzerland. This volume documents 1005 different species, with thousands of images on 301 plates, and counts 680 pages. This book continues first with the Bivalvia, starting with the popular Propemussiidae and Spondylidae. A long list of smaller families follows, but there is extensive coverage of the amazing Septibranchia, especially of the striking Cuspidariidae. Lucinidae are well covered, including the very deep water ones, as they have been studied by the MNHN. Many species are illustrated for the first time in color. Follows another favorite among collectors: the Chamidae with no less than 18 species. Cardiidae get a full coverage by Jan Johan ter Poorten: a surprising 81 species. Tellinidae, Psammobiidae and Mactridae are other big families in the Philippines. After the Bivalvia we continue with the Scaphopods. Amazingly this small area on the global map has an impressive 78 determinated species. The Cephalopods have been documented as well and there is a superb set of photographs of living animals. This volume has two Addenda:

– Addendum I: not less than 287 species not documented in Volume I & II because either not yet described or not yet discovered at the time of writing or rediscovered in the Archipelago.

– Addendum II: in 7 pages a summary of the complete literature that concerns this region of the world.