AMNH Malacology

Mollusk collections at the American Museum of Natural History are the basis of an active field and laboratory research program, headed by the curator in charge, Dr. Paula M. Mikkelsen. Dr. Mikkelsen's current research focuses on the systematics and diversity of marine bivalves, especially those of the tropical western Atlantic, supported by private funding and a National Science Foundation PEET grant. An Histology Laboratory (also available for use by trained affiliated researchers) provides an essential venue for ellucidating anatomical characters in shelled mollusks whose soft morphology is often poorly known. Affiliated personnel are pursuing similar studies of opisthobranchs, with special faunal emphases on the northeastern United States and Caribbean.

The AMNH mollusk collections currently comprise over 317,000 catalogued lots, including several thousand type specimens and a growing alcohol-preserved collection as a result of active field projects. Particular strengths of the collections are in some important historical collections, including those of John C. Jay, and Gordon Nowell-Usticke, and expedition collections such as the AMNH Congo Expedition (1909-1915) and marine abyssal material collected by the research vessel "Vema" (1955-1962). Our collections represent at least 80% of the known species for the families Cypraeidae, Conidae, Epitoniidae, Harpidae, Pleurotomariidae, Strombidae, and Xenophoridae. The collection is particularly rich in shell specimens from tropical oceans, with a more recent emphasis on the Caribbean. The acquisition of a Giant Squid (Architeuthis kirki) from New Zealand in 1998 drew local interest and included a popular public display in the museum's Hall of Biodiversity from 1999 until January 2001.

AMNH mollusk types can be accessed through the AMNH Invertebrate Zoology Type Specimens Database.

last update: 01 August 2006

Page design: Marla L. Coppolino