Who among us hasn’t marveled at the diversity and beauty of shells? Or picked one up, held it to our ear, and then gazed in wonder at its shape and hue? Many a lifelong shell collector has cut teeth (and toes) on the beaches of the Jersey Shore, the Outer Banks, or the coasts of Sanibel Island. Some have even dived to the depths of the ocean. But most of us are not familiar with the biological origin of shells, their role in explaining evolutionary history, and the incredible variety of forms in which they come. Shells are the external skeletons of mollusks, an ancient and diverse phylum of invertebrates that are in the earliest fossil record of multicellular life over 500 million years ago. There are over 100,000 kinds of recorded mollusks, and some estimate that there are over amillion more that have yet to be discovered. Some breathe air, others live in fresh water, but most live in the ocean. They range in size from a grain of sand to a beach ball and in weight from a few grams to several hundred pounds. And in this lavishly illustrated volume, they finally get their full due. The Book of Shells offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing mollusk shells, each chosen to convey the range of shapes and sizes that occur across a range of species. Each shell is reproduced here at its actual size, in full color, and is accompanied by an explanation of the shell’s range, distribution, abundance, habitat, and operculum—the piece that protects the mollusk when it’s in the shell. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each shell and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait. The Matchless Cone, for instance, or Conus cedonulli, was one of the rarest shells collected during the eighteenth century. So much so, in fact, that a specimen in 1796 was sold for more than six times as much as a painting by Vermeer at the same auction. But since the advent of scuba diving, this shell has become far more accessible to collectors—though not without certain risks. Some species of Conus produce venom that has caused more than thirty known human deaths. The Zebra Nerite, the Heart Cockle, the Indian Babylon, the Junonia, the Atlantic Thorny Oyster—shells from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics, from the highest mountains to the ocean’s deepest recesses, are all on display in this definitive work.

"The Giant Clams" is the author’s complete coverage of these remarkable reef-dwelling animals, which has been written and photo-illustrated for anyone interested in them. Inside you’ll find information on: the biology of giant clams, the common and uncommon species, the problems they face, how they are aquacultured, and much more. The book also includes over 500 photographs and illustrations. Table of Contents: Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Tridacnine Anatomy, Physiology, and Reproduction Tridacnine Shells Tridacnine Soft Parts How Tridacnines Work Tridacnine Reproduction Chapter 2: Tridacnine Miscellanea Ecological Roles Some Other Symbionts Mantle Coloration Dealing with UV Exposure to Air Jerking and Squirting Deformities and Funky Mantles The Biggest Clams Tridacnine Pearls Maximum Lifespans A Bit More About the ZTS A Few Close Cousins Name Changes, Cryptic Species, and Trees A Variety of Zooxanthellae Attachments and Self-Righting Making Burrows Tridacnine Shells and Humans Chapter 3: The Common Tridacnine Species Tridacna crocea Tridacna maxima Tridacna noae Tridacna derasa Tridacna squamosa Tridacna gigas Hippopus hippopus Chapter 4: The Uncommon Tridacnines and Hybrids Hippopus porcellanus Tridacna mbalavuana Tridacna squamosina Tridacna elongatissima Tridacna rosewateri Hybrid Tridacnines Chapter 5: Tridacnine Troubles Bleaching Bacterial Infections Protozoans and Pinched Mantle Deteriorating Ligaments Boring Sponges and Algae Overgrowing Algae and Corals Bad Worms Predatory and Parasitic Snails Other Predatory Animals Humans Chapter 6: Tridacnine Aquaculture Broodstock and Spawning Gamete Collection Fertilization Larval Rearing Grow-Out On From There References and Image Credits Index You can also find James' giant clam photo galleries and videos and more at jameswfatherree.com.

Everyone uses species. All human cultures, whether using science or not, name species. Species are the basic units for science, from ecosystems to model organisms. Yet, there are communication gaps between the scientists who name species, called taxonomists or systematists, and those who use species names—everyone else. This book opens the "black box" of species names, to explain the tricks of the name-makers to the name-users. Species are real, and have macroevolutionary meaning, and it follows that systematists use a broadly macroevolution-oriented approach in describing diversity. But scientific names are used by all areas of science, including many fields such as ecology that focus on timescales more dominated by microevolutionary processes. This book explores why different groups of scientists understand and use the names given to species in very different ways, and the consequences for measuring and understanding biodiversity. Key selling features: Explains the modern, multi-disciplinary approach to studying species evolution and species discovery, and the role of species names in diverse fields throughout the life sciences Documents the importance and urgent need for high-quality taxonomic work to address today’s most pressing problems Summarises controversies in combining different—sometimes quite different—datasets used to estimate global biodiversity Focusses throughout on a central theme—the disconnect between the makers and the users of names—and seeks to create the rhetorical foundation needed to bridge this disconnect Anticipates the future of taxonomy and its role in studies of global biodiversity

This book provides an understanding on a large variety of aquaculture related topics. The book is organized in four sections. The first section discusses fish nutrition second section is considers the application of genetic in aquaculture; section three takes a look at current techniques for controlling lipid oxidation and melanosis in Aquaculture products. The last section is focused on culture techniques and management, ,which is the larger part of the book. The book chapters are written by leading experts in their respective areas. Therefore, I am quite confident that this book will be equally useful for students and professionals in aquaculture and biotechnology.