About the Malacology Department | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
Malacology specimens (Left to Right): Goodall's Chiton,Hirase's Slitshell, Noble Scallop, Green Tree Snail, and Chambered Nautilus
Malacology Contact Information
Got mollusk questions?
Usual department business hours are 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. You may contact us at:
(213) 763-3376
Pacific Conchological Club
Interested in shell collecting? The Malacology Department sponsors the Pacific Conchological Club (PCC), which meets at NHM usually on the second Sunday of each month from January through May and October and November. The PCC resulted from a 2003 merger of two historic clubs, the Conchological Club of Southern California and the Pacific Shell Club. For details and further club information visit the PCC website.
Donations to Malacology
At the discretion of the Malacology Department, shell specimens or collections may be accepted as donations from individuals and/or institutions provided complete locality information is available at the time of donation. The department also accepts donations of cash, books, and/or equipment. All donations are tax deductible, however, it is the responsibility of the donor to obtain a collection appraisal prior to donation.
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About the Malacology Department
Malacology is the study of mollusks (snails, clams, octopods, etc.). The Malacology Department promotes the scientific study, conservation, and acquisition of extant mollusk species including gastropods (marine, terrestrial, and freshwater snails and slugs), bivalves (marine and freshwater clams), cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus), polyplacophorans (chitons), scaphopods (tusk shells), aplacophorans (wormlike mollusks), and monoplacophorans (‘primitive’ limpetlike snails). The collection is worldwide in scope with an emphasis on the eastern Pacific Ocean (arctic Alaska to southern Chile) and includes an estimated 500,000 lots containing approximately 4.5 million specimens.
What are we doing in the mollusk collection?
Malacology staff, associates, and volunteers sort, identify and verify specimen identifications, curate, rehouse, database, and incorporate specimens into the research collection. These tasks represent a huge undertaking in terms of the number of specimens incorporated into the collection annually. Malacology is active in Museum programs, offering hands-on experiences with both extinct and extant mollusks and local geology.
Mollusk Researchers at NHM
Lindsey T. Groves, Collections Manager
Lindsey has been supervising the upgrading and databasing of the collections since 1988. His research interests are extant and extinct cypraeoideans (cowries and their kin) of the Western Hemisphere as well as extinct abalone.
Dr. James H. McLean, Curator Emeritus
Jim retired in 2001 but remains active with his research. He is currently preparing two major volumes for publication, one on the shelled gastropods of the North Pacific, which will include descriptions of several hundred species new to science, and the other on the family Liotiidae.
Spotlight on the Malacology Collection
Invasive species are not new to California. One of the latest non-native species to take up residence is the New Zealand Mud Snail [Potamopyrgos antipodarum]. Approximately 5 mm in size they comsume large ammounts of food, can reach concentrations of thousands per square yard, and out-compete native species. It appears that little can be done to eradicate them but by taking the following precautions you can slow their spreading to new fresh water habitats. Thoroughly clean all fishing gear after use and never move live fish or plants from one body of water to another. In Los Angeles County they have been reported from Malibu Creek, Las Virgenes Creek, Lindero Canyon Creek, and Medea Creek in the Santa Monica Mountains and have been reported from all the western states except New Mexico.