Phylogeny and Evolution of the Mollusca [Hardcover]

Brought together by Winston F. Ponder and David R. Lindberg, thirty-six experts on the evolution of the Mollusca provide an up-to-date review of its evolutionary history. The Mollusca are the second largest animal phylum and boast a fossil record of over 540 million years. They exhibit remarkable anatomical diversity and include the bivalves (scallops, oysters, and clams), gastropods (limpets, snails, and slugs), and cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, and octopus). This study treats each major taxon and supplies general information as well as overviews of evolution and phylogeny using data from different sourcesmorphological, ultrastructural, molecular, developmental, and from the fossil record.

Winston F. Ponderis an Honorary Fellow at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Australia, from where he recently retired after a long career as a research scientist specializing on molluscs.David R. Lindbergis Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Curator for the University of California Museum of Paleontology. He is also coeditor ofMolecular Systematics and Phylogeography of Mollusks.

Ponder and Lindberg provides a breathtaking overview of the evolutionary history of the Mollusca, effectively melding information from anatomy, ecology, genomics, and paleobiology to explore the depths of molluscan phylogeny. Its outstanding success is due to thoughtful planning, focused complementary contributions from 36 expert authors, and careful editing. This volume is a must for malacologists. Bruce Runnegar, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

Our understanding of the phylogeny and evolutionary history of the mollusca has been revolutionized over the past two decades through new molecular data and analysis, and reinvestigation of morphological characters. In this volume Ponder, Lindberg, and their colleagues do a wonderful job of integrating this workl.