Bivalvia

Bivalves (including the scallops, clams, mussels, and oysters)
comprise the second largest group of mollusks, yet are
historically understudied relative to other mollusks. They
are mega-diverse, comprising 8000-20,000 Recent species
in a wide variety of ecological and trophic niches. Bivalves
are significant economically and ecologically: important
aquaculture candidates, endangered and extinct species
(freshwater mussels, Unionidae), and introduced pest species
(zebra mussels). Despite their importance, our understanding
of bivalves as living invertebrate animals is fragmentary. Like
other species of mollusks, many species are known from
empty shells alone.
Divariscintilla yoyo Mikkelsen & Bieler, 1989; a "yoyo clam," was described as a commensal in mantis shrimp burrows on intertidal sand flats in eastern Florida.
A five-year NSF-PEET grant awarded in 1999 (with co-PI, Dr. Rüdiger Bieler, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago) seeks to improve our understanding of and available tools for marine bivalve systematics. Monographic emphasis is being placed on the largest marine family, Veneridae, comprising over 500 living species and a vast fossil record, and forming a key component in the world's clam fisheries. The project is training graduate students (at City University of New York and University of Illinois at Chicago) in modern techniques of histological/anatomical reconstruction, DNA-sequencing, and phylogenetics. Workshops are also being organized to involve a number of other experts and students in the field and data-management scenarios. Various tools for the study of marine bivalves, such as images, growth series, bibliographies, nomenclators, and keys, are being developed for web-dissemination.
A four-year project on Pearls culminated in co-curation of a major museum exhibit and a book, entitled "Pearls: A Natural History." Both were done in conjunction with colleagues at the American Museum of Natural History and The Field Museum (Chicago). Both represent the most holistic treatment ever assembled on the complex subject of pearls, interweaving elements of biology, gemology, anthropology, mineralogy, ecology, commercial aquaculture, and decorative arts. Available here are a summary of the exhibit and various tools to facilitate the study of pearls that for various reasons did not make it into the final draft of the book.
Pearls research pages

Paula M. Mikkelsen, Ph.D., Curator of Malacology
Division of Invertebrate Zoology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192
Tel. 212/769-5244 / Fax 212/769-5277
email: mikkel@amnh.org