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28-410: Conchology is now sometimes seen as an archaic study, because relying on only one aspect of an organism's morphology can be misleading. However, a shell often gives at least some insight into molluscan taxonomy , and historically the shell was often the only part of exotic species that was available for study. Even in current museum collections it is common for the dry material (shells) to greatly exceed

56-429: A protein support structure. The terms shell collector and conchologist can be regarded as two distinct categories. Not all shell collectors are conchologists; some are primarily concerned with the aesthetic value of shells instead of their scientific study. It is also true that not all conchologists are shell collectors; this type of research only requires access to private or institutional shell collections. There

84-643: A number of local, national, and international organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas. Shells have been featured on over 5,000 postage stamps worldwide, and have been featured on many coins including the Bahamian dollar (1974), the Cuban peso (1981), the Haitian gourde (1973), the Nepalese rupee (1989) and Philippine peso (1993). Morphology (biology) Morphology in biology

112-525: A similar appearance as a result of convergent evolution or even mimicry . In addition, there can be morphological differences within a species, such as in Apoica flavissima where queens are significantly smaller than workers. A further problem with relying on morphological data is that what may appear morphologically to be two distinct species may in fact be shown by DNA analysis to be a single species. The significance of these differences can be examined through

140-472: Is a branch of life science dealing with the study of the gross structure of an organism or taxon and its component parts. The etymology of the word "morphology" is from the Ancient Greek μορφή ( morphḗ ), meaning "form", and λόγος ( lógos ), meaning "word, study, research". While the concept of form in biology, opposed to function , dates back to Aristotle (see Aristotle's biology ),

168-488: Is famous for his huge collection and numerous discoveries of new species. Thomas Say wrote the fundamental work American Conchology, or Descriptions of the Shells of North America, Illustrated From Coloured Figures From Original Drawings, Executed from Nature in six volumes (1830–1834). R. Tucker Abbott was arguably the most prominent conchologist of the 20th century, authoring dozens of books and working as museum director of

196-485: Is said to exemplify the two major deviations in biological thinking at the time – whether animal structure was due to function or evolution. Most taxa differ morphologically from other taxa. Typically, closely related taxa differ much less than more distantly related ones, but there are exceptions to this. Cryptic species are species which look very similar, or perhaps even outwardly identical, but are reproductively isolated. Conversely, sometimes unrelated taxa acquire

224-428: Is some debate in the conchological community, with some people regarding all shell collectors (regardless of motivation) as conchologists. Shell collecting, the precursor of conchology, dates back thousands of years. Archaeologists have sometimes uncovered Stone Age oceanic seashell necklaces in areas far from the ocean, indicating that they were traded, and shell jewellery has been found at archaeological sites around

252-437: Is the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features. This includes aspects of the outward appearance (shape, structure, color, pattern, size), i.e. external morphology (or eidonomy ), as well as the form and structure of internal parts like bones and organs , i.e. internal morphology (or anatomy ). This is in contrast to physiology , which deals primarily with function. Morphology

280-496: The Australian Museum , authored Australian Shells. This was the first book to catalogue the majority of Australian molluscs in detail and was highly regarded within the scientific community and mollusc collectors. Many museums worldwide contain very large and scientifically important shell collections. However, in most cases these are research collections not as readily accessible to the general public as exhibits. As of 2020

308-707: The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum . His most best-known works are American Seashells , Seashells of the World , and The Kingdom of the Seashell . John DuPont is also known for his extensive collection which he donated to the Delaware Museum of Natural History in 1984. The Japanese emperor Hirohito also amassed a huge collection, and was a competent and respected amateur conchologist. In 1950, Joyce Allan , an Australian conchologist working as curator of shells at

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336-485: The Fijis , and who led the efforts to raise funds to build the museum. In addition to its 34 exhibits, public programs, and in-house resources, the museum has embarked on many collaborations with national and international educational and research institutions, and offers facilities in its collection and research area for visiting researchers, interns, and students. Resources are used by national and international professionals in

364-594: The Tourism and Development Council, and shell clubs throughout Florida. The museum's website includes database searches for both the museum and southwestern Florida. The museum runs programs to educate the public, such as guided beach walks with museum naturalists who identify shells and teach mollusk biology. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum began with a gift of land from brothers John, Francis, and Sam Bailey in 1990 (in memory of their parents, Frank P. Bailey and Annie Mead Matthews). Malacologist, R. Tucker Abbott ,

392-485: The amount of material that is preserved whole in alcohol. Conchologists mainly deal with four molluscan orders: the gastropods (snails), bivalves (clams), Polyplacophora (chitons) and Scaphopoda (tusk shells). Cephalopods only have small internal shells, with the exception of the Nautiloidea . Some groups, such as the sea slug nudibranchs , have lost their shells altogether, while in others it has been replaced by

420-589: The eye and of the mind in the observation of molluscs"), the first treatise devoted entirely to mollusc shells. In 1692 Martin Lister published Historia Conchyliorum , a comprehensive conchological text with more than 1,000 engraved plates . George Rumpf , or "Rumphius", (1627–1702) published the first genuine mollusc taxonomy. He suggested the categories "single shelled ones" (modern Polyplacophora , limpets , and abalone ), "snails or whelks" ( Gastropoda ), and "two-shelled ones" ( Bivalvia ). He did not include

448-465: The field of morphology was developed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1790) and independently by the German anatomist and physiologist Karl Friedrich Burdach (1800). Among other important theorists of morphology are Lorenz Oken , Georges Cuvier , Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , Richard Owen , Carl Gegenbaur and Ernst Haeckel . In 1830, Cuvier and Saint-Hilaire engaged in a famous debate , which

476-810: The fields of environmental and marine sciences, biology, and ecology. The Museum also offers a formal field trip program for Lee County public school 4th-graders on a cost-sharing basis. The Museum has established strong ties with many public and private sector organizations, including the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, Smithsonian Institution , American Malacological Society , Conchologists of America , Museu de Zoologia and Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil , Florida Museum of Natural History , Southwest Florida Library Network, Sanibel Public Library, The Sanibel School, Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce, Lee County's Visitor and Convention Bureau and

504-663: The marine, terrestrial, and freshwater mollusks of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida . The Museum, which is a facility of the Shell Museum and Educational Foundation, Inc., received its first accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in March 2010. It was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian and the museum reopened in February 2023. The museum's exhibits include shells from all over

532-672: The museum became the publisher, with Leal as editor-in-chief, of The Nautilus , the second-oldest, English-language, shell science journal in the world. In July 1999, the museum liquidated its original bank debt and, in May 2000, established its Cultural Endowment Fund. In 2003, the museum underwent the Museum Assessment Program by the American Alliance of Museums, and in 2004, the Conservation Assessment Program by

560-459: The observation of 3-D cell morphology with both high spatial and temporal resolution. The dynamic processes of this cell morphology which are controlled by a complex system play an important role in varied important biological processes, such as immune and invasive responses. Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is a museum devoted to every aspect of seashells , conchology , and malacology , including

588-439: The paleontological and archeological/anthropological aspects of the study of shells. The museum is located in the city of Sanibel, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Southwest Florida . The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum opened to the public in 1995, and operates as an information and reference center for national and international scientists, students, and shell enthusiasts, particularly those who are interested in

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616-687: The time. The English word "conchology" was coined in the 1770s by the British Sephardi naturalist Emanuel Mendes da Costa , who published The Elements of Conchology: or, an Introduction to the Knowledge of Shells in London in 1776. Since 1700 a number of prominent conchologists have published their studies of shells. John Mawe (1764–1829) produced arguably the first conchology guidebook, The Voyager's Companion or Shell-Collector's Pilot , as well as The Linnæan System of Conchology . Hugh Cuming (1791–1865)

644-424: The tusk shells or the internal shells of the cephalopods. Many of Rumpf's terms were later adopted by Carl Linnaeus . The study of zoology , including conchology, was revolutionized by Linnaeus and his system of binomial nomenclature . Six hundred eighty three of the approximately 4,000 animal species Linnaeus described are now considered to be molluscs, although Linnaeus placed them in several different phyla at

672-576: The use of allometric engineering in which one or both species are manipulated to phenocopy the other species. A step relevant to the evaluation of morphology between traits/features within species, includes an assessment of the terms: homology and homoplasy . Homology between features indicates that those features have been derived from a common ancestor. Alternatively, homoplasy between features describes those that can resemble each other, but derive independently via parallel or convergent evolution . The invention and development of microscopy enabled

700-701: The world's largest assemblage of mollusc shells was held by the Smithsonian Institution , which has c. 1 million lots representing perhaps 50,000 species. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture also has a large collection which was donated by Dr. Phil Nudelman in 2013. It includes about 100,000 specimens and 24,000 species, mostly from the Indo-Pacific region, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. Source: Like other scientific fields, conchologists have

728-555: The world. During the Renaissance people began collecting natural objects of beauty for private cabinets of curiosities . Because of their attractiveness, variety, durability and ubiquity, shells frequently became a large part of such collections. Scientific interest began to develop towards the end of the 17th century, and in 1681 The Jesuit priest Filippo Bonanni published the two-volume atlas Ricreazione dell'occhio et della mente nell'osservazione delle chiocciole ("Recreation of

756-594: The world. However, many shells on show in the museum are from Florida, and a substantial number are from Sanibel and Captiva islands. This is because Sanibel Island is one of the best seashell collecting spots in the world (comparable to Jeffreys Bay in Africa and the Sulu Archipelago in the Pacific). The museum also owns a collection of Pacific Ocean cowries and cones donated by actor Raymond Burr , who owned an island in

784-455: Was founding director. The museum building was designed by architect, George "Tutts" Tuttle Jr., from Captiva Island . In 1993, the museum opened its campaign office and acquired a bank loan to complement a construction grant from the State of Florida Cultural Facilities Program. The grand opening was on November 18, 1995. In February 1996, malacologist, José H. Leal , was hired as director. In 1997,

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