European non-marine molluscs
A guide for species identification

Quel est le sujet du livre "European non-marine molluscs"

The book presents all European species of molluscs*, which are about 2090 snails and 53 mussels.

In several groups the species definition is controversial, others are currently in a state of taxonomic revision. So the number of species can only be approximated. Surprisingly many groups in Europe are relatively little studied. This includes, for example, the large species of the genus Helix which are the only snails that have importance in the human diet.
Europe includes Cyprus and Turkey's western regions, but not the eastern Atlantic islands (Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores) and the Caucasus region. In the east the area extends approximately to the Moscow region. Iceland is also included.

*all species without about 400 species of hydrobioids, which are very small snails of freshwater sources with extremely restricted ranges, and which are practically only known to the specialists.
    
Almost all the pictures were taken at the malacological museum Haus der Natur Cismar (www.hausdernatur.de) (collection Vollrath Wiese), with Vollrath Wiese's help and photo equipment. The species of which there are no images shown in the book have usually not been present in the museum collection.

Donations of such species would be very welcome. These could later be photographed and perhaps shown in a future edition of this book.

The Quick ID consists of maps and photos, and allows very rapid pre-determination of the species. In 70-80% of cases the species may already here be well recognized. The Quick ID can be opened separately (you can always have 3 pages open simultaneously, and put a left-hand page of the Quick ID onto the right-hand page section of the main book, or even hide some Quick ID pages below).

The Quick ID has been specifically designed to enable faster work. Working quickly and efficiently is essential in today's scientific community. With more than 2000 species it is very difficult to keep track. Even in difficult groups the Quick ID allows very quickly to narrow down possible options and then look up the species accounts in the main part.
The Quick ID was even tested by non-experts without any previous knowledge of snails. They succeeded in a relatively short time to identify on species level a number of simple species like Ena montana or Cochlicella acuta. This book does not work with identification keys. Mollusks can be determined most quickly with concise compilations of images and distribution maps.
In the main part of the book (the left and the center of the image) for each species is given a brief description, size, habitat, distribution map (the same as in the Quick ID), and, if known, information on the biology, reproduction and threat. Most species are equipped with 4-8 photos of shells where you can see a little the species variability.

Suitable for student field trips, zoological identification exercises indoors and outdoors, ecological or archaeological research projects, malacological research, and for administrative matters in nature, especially when it comes to a reliable determination of endangered species.

760 pages (y compris un guide d'identification rapide de 78 pages)
1600 photos à couleur de mollusques (gastéropodes terrestres, gastéropodes d'eau douce, moules d'eau douce)
2150 descriptions d'espèces (chacune avec une diagnose brève, grandeur de la coquille, l'habitat et (si connu) des informations sur la reproduction, la biologie et la menace)
2150 cartes de répartition
Bibliographie avec 2300 sources
Index alphabétique