Conchology is the scientific study of shells of mollusks, a branch of malacology. Conchologists may study animal shells to gain an understanding of the diverse and complex taxonomy of mollusks, or simply appreciate them for their aesthetic value. Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... Various seashells Danielle A shell is the hard, rigid outer covering, or integument, allanimals. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora - Chitons Monoplacophora Bivalvia - Bivalves Scaphopoda - Tusk shells Gastropoda - Snails and Slugs Cephalopoda - Squids, Octopuses, etc. ... Look up taxonomy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Aesthetics (or esthetics) (from the Greek word αισθητική) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty. ...

A seashell vendor in Tanzania sells seashells which have been taken alive from the water, killing the animal inside. This could be considered a form of poaching.

The definition is sometimes (especially in Europe) widened to include the study of the mollusc animals, which is technically malacology, as well as including other marine invertebrates, such as echinoderms, cnidarians, and crustaceans. Conchology deals with all mollusk shells; however, squid and other cephalopods do not have outer shells (with the exception of the Nautiloidea), having evolved just to have an internal bone or shell, used for buoyancy or support. Some species have lost their "skeleton" (internal and/or external) altogether, while in some it has been replaced by a cartilaginous support structure. Because of this, conchologists deal mainly with gastropods (snails), bivalves, Polyplacophora (chitons) and Scaphopoda (tusk shells). Download high resolution version (1024x768, 108 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 108 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see Poaching (disambiguation). ... Classes Subphylum Homalozoa Gill & Caster, 1960 Class Homostelea Class Homoiostelea Class Stylophora Gill & Caster, 1960 Class Ctenocystoidea Robison & Sprinkle, 1969 Subphylum Crinozoa Class Eocrinoidea Jaekel, 1899 Class Paracrinoidea Regnéll, 1945 Class Cystoidea von Buch, 1846 Class Blastoidea Class Crinoidea Subphylum Asterozoa Class Ophiuroidea Class Asteroidea Subphylum Echinozoa Helicoplacoidea †  ?Arkarua... Classes Anthozoa - Corals and sea anemones Cubozoa - Sea wasps or box jellyfish Hydrozoa - Hydroids, hydra-like animals Scyphozoa - Jellyfish Cnidaria is a phylum containing some 10,000 species of relatively simple animals found exclusively in aquatic environments (most species are marine). ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The nauplius larva of a dendrobranchiate Porcellio scaber, the common rough woodlouse, a terrestrial crustacean Pollicipes polymerus, the gooseneck barnacle Glyphea pseudastacus, a fossil glypheoid The crustaceans (Crustacea) are... Suborders †Plesioteuthididae (incertae sedis) Myopsina Oegopsina Squid are a large, diverse group of marine cephalopods. ... Orders Subclass Nautiloidea †Plectronocerida †Ellesmerocerida †Actinocerida †Pseudorthocerida †Endocerida †Tarphycerida †Oncocerida †Discosorida Nautilida †Orthocerida †Ascocerida †Bactritida Subclass †Ammonoidea †Goniatitida †Ceratitida †Ammonitida Subclass Coleoidea †Belemnoidea †Aulacocerida †Belemnitida †Hematitida †Phragmoteuthida Neocoleoidea (most living cephalopods) ?†Boletzkyida Sepiida Sepiolida Spirulida Teuthida Octopoda Vampyromorphida The cephalopods (Greek plural (kephalópoda); head-foot) are the mollusk class... Orders Nautilida Bactrida Nautiloids are a group of marine animals which all possess an external shell, the most well known example being the modern nautiluses. ... Subclass Subclass Eogastropoda     Patellogastropoda Subclass Orthogastropoda   Superorder Cocculiniformia   Superorder Hot Vent Taxa     Neomphaolida   Superorder Vetigastropoda   Superorder Neritaemorphi     Neritopsina   Superorder Caenogastropoda     Architaenioglossa     Sorbeoconcha   Superorder Heterobranchia     Heterostropha     Opisthobranchia     Pulmonata The gastropods, or univalves, are the largest and most successful class of mollusks, with 60,000-75,000 species, and second largest class... Orders Subclass Protobranchia Solemyoida Nuculoida Subclass Pteriomorphia - oysters Arcoida Mytiloida Pterioida Subclass Paleoheterodonta - mussels Trigoinoida Unionoida Subclass Heterodonta - clams, zebra mussels Veneroida Myoida Subclass Anomalosdesmata Pholadomyoida Animals of the Class Bivalvia are known as bivalves because they typically have two-part shells, with both parts being more or less symmetrical. ... Lined Chiton (Tonicella lineata) Chitons, also called polyplacophorans and rarely polyplacophores, are 860 species of molluscs of the Class Polyplacophora. ... Orders Dentaliida Gadilida The tusk shells are a class Scaphopoda of marine mollusks distinguished by curved tubular shells open at both ends, resembling a elephants tusk (thus the name). ...

History of Conchology

Shell collecting, the "ancestor" or precursor of conchology, goes back for as long as there have people and beaches: someone walking on the beach would pick up a shell for its beauty and maybe go out the next day to look for more. The fact that many people were already using molluscs as a food source added to its commonality. There have been seashell necklaces found from the Stone Age, some of which were found in areas removed from the ocean, indicating that they were traded. Shell necklaces and jewelry are found at almost all archaeological sites, including at ancient Aztec ruins, digs in ancient China, the Indus Valley, and Native American sites. During the Renaissance, people began taking interest in natural objects of beauty to put in wunderkammern. Shells became a large part of these collections. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, people began looking at shells with scientific interest. Lister in 1685-1692 published Historia Conchyliorum, which was the first comprehensive book on shells, with over 1000 engraved plates. Jewelry (the American spelling; spelled jewellery in Commonwealth English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... It has been suggested that Mexica be merged into this article or section. ... The // (c. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... For the 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, see The Cabinet of Curiosities Musei Wormiani Historia, the frontispiece from the Museum Wormianum depicting Ole Worms cabinet of curiosities. ... Martin Lister (c. ...

A plate from Lister’s book, showing what he calls buccinis shells

George Eberhard Rumpf, or Rumphius, (1627-1702) was another important early conchologist. He published the first classifications of molluscs into different groups; he suggested "Single Shelled Ones" (Polyplacophora, limpets, and abalones), "Snails or Whelks" (Gastropods), and "Two-Shelled Ones" (Bivalves). Rumphius came up with many of the names adopted by Linnæus, and continued to do important scientific work even after he went blind, working by feel. The study of shells, like all other branches of zoology, was revolutionized by Linnæus and his system of nomenclature. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 429 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (567 × 792 pixel, file size: 156 KB, MIME type: image/png) Source : Lister Martin (c. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 429 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (567 × 792 pixel, file size: 156 KB, MIME type: image/png) Source : Lister Martin (c. ... Suborders See text. ... Species Many, see species section. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Zoology (from Greek: ζῴον, zoion, animal; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the biological discipline which involves the study of animals. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

After Linnæus, conchology/malacology became an official branch of zoology. There have been many prominent conchologists in the past few centuries; the Sowerby family were famous collectors and shell dealers, as well as being noted for their superb illustrations; Hugh Cuming (1791-1865) also is famous for his huge collection and number of new species discovered. Another fundamental work was American Conchology, or Descriptions of the Shells of North America, Illustrated From Coloured Figures From Original Drawings, Executed from Nature (six volumes, 1830-1834), written by Thomas Say. The Sowerbys were a British family of naturalists, illustrators, botanists, and zoologists who showed a remarkable lack of imagination in the naming of their sons from the second generation on. ... Hugh Cuming (1791 - 1865) was an English naturalist and conchologist. ... Thomas Say. ...

Perhaps the most prominent conchologist of the 20th century was R. Tucker Abbott. Author of dozens of books on conchology, Senior Advisor, Founding Director, and finally Museum Director of the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, Abbott brought the world of conchology to the public. His most prominent works are "American Seashells" 1955 & 1974, Seashells of the World, 1962, and The Kingdom of the Seashell, 1972. See Category:Conchologists for others. Many of the finest collections of seashells are in private hands. John du Pont, and Jack Lightbourne, among others, are known for extensive collections. Emperor Hirohito of Japan also amassed a huge collection, and was a competent and respected amateur conchologist. That said, John DuPont donated his shell collection to the Delaware Museum of Natural History (DMNH) in 1984, and by far the world's largest assemblage of mollusc shells is housed at the Smithstonian Institute, which has millions of lots and perhaps 50,000 species, vs perhaps 35,000 species for the largest private collections. Robert Tucker Abbott (September 28, 1919 – November 3, 1995) was an American conchologist and malacologist and the author of more than 30 books on malacology, translated into many languages. ...

Uses of shells

Shells have been collected for millennia, but not just for their beauty.

• Molluscs, especially bivalves such as clams, and mussels, have been an important food source for many different peoples around the world; one example of this is Midden heaps in North American archeology. Other molluscs commonly eaten include octopuses and squid, whelks, oysters, and scallops.

• Shells have also been used as currency (ie, as a medium of exchange) in various places, including North America, Africa and the Caribbean. The most common shells to be used as currency have been Cypraea moneta Linne, the “money cowry”, and certain tusk shells, such as those used in North Western North America for many centuries. As well, the Native American wampum belts were made of the shell of the quahog mollusc. See Shell-money for more information.

• Shells have often been used as tools due to their variety of shapes. Giant clams (Family Tridacnidae) have been used as bowls, and when big enough, even as bathtubs and baptismal fonts! The bailer volute is so named because Native Australians would use it to bail out their canoes. Many bivalves were used for scrapers, blades, clasps, and other such tools, due to their shape. Some gastropods have been used for oil lamps, the oil being poured in the cavity and the siphonal canal being a perfect holder for the wick.

• Shells play a part in religion and spirituality, as well. In Botticelli’s Venus, the goddess Venus (goddess) is depicted as rising from the ocean on a scallop shell. The scallop shell is also considered the symbol of Saint James the Great. In Hinduism, the left-handed Chank shell is considered sacred to the god Vishnu. One who finds a left-handed Chank shell (one that coils to the left) is sacred to Vishnu, as well. The Chank shell plays an important role in Buddhism, as well. Cowries were often considered symbols of women, as their shape has some resemblance to a vagina. In Santeria, shells are used for divination purposes.

• Shells also have been used as musical instruments, usually trumpets; the most prominent examples are the Triton shell (Charonia tritonis L.), used as a trumpet in Melanesian and Polynesian culture, and the Queen Conch (Strombus gigas L.), also often used as a trumpet.

Some wool dipped in techelet solution, from the Murex trunculus, turning blue in the sunlight outside P'til Techelet in Israel.

• Shells have a place in personal adornment, often being used as jewelry. Shell necklaces have always been very popular, and have been found in Stone Age graves as far inland as the Dordogne Valley in France. The Bullmouth Helmet was used to make cameos, and mother of pearl, from abalones or other bivalves, has often been used as decoration - for example, Pearly Kings and Queens wear buttons made of mother-of-pearl.

• For decoration. For example, "sailor's valentines" were late nineteenth century decorative keepsakes which were made in the Caribbean, and which were often purchased by sailors to give to their loved ones back home. They consisted of elaborate arrangements of seashells glued into attractive symmetrical designs, which were encased on a wooden (usually octagonal) hinged box-frame. The patterns used often featured heart-shaped designs, or included a sentimental expression of love spelled out in small shells.

• Some shell byproducts have also been used in industrial processes. The pen shell’s byssus was used to make rare, very fine, fabric reserved for royalty. Royalty also got the benefit of another molluscian byproduct: Tyrian purple, made from the ink glands of murex shells. It is similar to the t’khelet blue, made from Murex trunculus, used in tzitzit.

• Finally, perhaps the most significant shell by-products are pearls created by oysters.

Littleneck clams; the pictured mollusks are of the species Mercenaria mercenaria. ... Subclasses Pteriomorpha (marine mussels) Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels) Heterodonta (zebra mussels) The term mussel is used for several families of bivalve molluscs inhabiting lakes, rivers, and creeks, as well as intertidal areas along coastlines worldwide. ... A midden, also known as kitchen middens, is a dump for domestic waste. ... Suborders †Pohlsepia (incertae sedis) †Proteroctopus (incertae sedis) †Palaeoctopus (incertae sedis) Cirrina Incirrina Synonyms Octopoida Leach, 1817 The octopus (Greek , eight-legs) is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. ... A whelk is a large marine gastropod (snail) found in temperate waters. ... The name oyster is used for a number of different groups of mollusks which grow for the most part in marine or brackish water. ... Genera Pecten Pedum Amusium Chlamys Decatopecten Argopecten Flexopecten Lissopecten Hyalopecten Nodipecten Patinopecten Semipallium Mimachlamys Equichlamys Mesopeplum Veprichlamys Notochlamys Delectopecten Cryptopecten Anguipecten Haumea Mirapecten Volachlamys Juxtamusium Annachlamys Gloripallium Excellichlamys Bractechlamys Minnivola Coralichlamys Serratovola Somalipecten Pseudohinnites Glorichlamys Scallops are the family Pectinidae of bivalve molluscs. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Quahogs (pronounced KO-hog, IPA , kwag, or kwa-HOG, IPA ), mercenaria mercenaria or venus mercenaria, are also called hard-shell clams, and by terms referring to different sizes from smallest to largest, littlenecks, cherrystones, quahogs, and chowders. The Quahog takes its name from the Narragansett Indian word poquauhock (the word... Shell money is a medium of exchange common to many primitive races, consisting of sea shells or pieces of them worked into beads or artificially shaped. ... Binomial name Tridacna gigas Linnaeus, 1758 The giant clam (Tridacna gigas) or traditionally, pa’ua, is the largest living bivalve mollusk. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ... Antique bronze oil lamp with Christian symbol (replica) An oil lamp is a device used for lighting or for preserving a flame that is fueled by animal, vegetable or mineral oil. ... Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus, showing its siphonal canal to the left. ... The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. ... Venus is the Roman goddess of love, equivalent to Greek Aphrodite and Etruscan Turan. ... Genera See text. ... Saint James the Great (d. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religious tradition[2] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being or Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas and a manifestation of Brahman in the Advaita or Smarta traditions. ... A silhouette of Buddha at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, most widely known as Santeria, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yorùbá beliefs. ... Species Charonia tritonis Charonia variegata Triton is the name given to various large sea snails of the genus Charonia, named after the Greek god Triton, son of Poseidon, god of the Sea. ... The Queen Conch (pronounced konk), Strombus gigas (Linneas, ), is a true conch and the largest mollusk native to North America. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 725 KB) Some wool dipped in techelet solution, turning blue in the sunlight outside Ptil Techelet in Israel. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 725 KB) Some wool dipped in techelet solution, turning blue in the sunlight outside Ptil Techelet in Israel. ... This article or section should be merged with Trunculus Murex Binomial name Murex trunculus Murex trunculus is a mollusc, source of the royal Tyrian purple. ... Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River. ... 2002 Lincoln cent, obverse, proof with cameo Cameo is a method of carving, or an item of jewelry made in this manner. ... Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is a naturally-occurring organic-inorganic composite. ... A pearly King and Queen A Pearly King (feminine form Pearly Queen) is a person dressed in a traditional cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. ... For other uses, see Button (disambiguation). ... The term byssus (sometimes byssal thread, or byssus thread) denotes strong threads secreted by mussels to attach to rocks and large, generally heavy objects in the intertidal zone. ... Murex brandaris, also known as the Spiny dye-murex The chemical structure of 6,6′-dibromoindigo, the main component of Tyrian Purple A space-filling model of 6,6′-dibromoindigo Tyrian purple (Greek: , porphura), also known as royal purple or imperial purple, is a purple-red dye made by the... Species see text Murex (Linnaeus, 1758) is a genus of tropical carnivorous marine gastropods. ... Tzitzit (Ashkenazi Hebrew: tzitzis) are fringes or tassels (Hebrew: ציצת (Biblical), ציצית (Mishnaic)) found on a tallit worn by observant Jews as part of practicing Judaism. ... This article or section should be merged with Trunculus Murex Binomial name Murex trunculus Murex trunculus is a mollusc, source of the royal Tyrian purple. ... Tzitzit (Ashkenazi Hebrew: tzitzis) are fringes or tassels (Hebrew: ציצת (Biblical), ציצית (Mishnaic)) found on a tallit worn by observant Jews as part of practicing Judaism. ... Freshadama grade cultured freshwater pearls. ...

Applied conchology

Many conchologists are employed in the study of molluscs that are directly beneficial or harmful to humans. The study of beneficial molluscs, such as bivalves used for food like clams and mussels, or pearl oysters, is primarily focused on their ecology and life habits, the primary concern being the understanding of how to raise them and make them more productive. Species Pinctada maxima Pinctada margaritifera Pinctada fucata Pinctada radiata Pinctada albina Pinctada virens Pinctada chemnitzi Pinctada maculata Pinctada nigra Pinctada atropurpurea Pinctada laosensis Pinctada martensi The Pearl Oysters are the genus Pinctada of bivalve molluscs. ...

Conversely, much of the study of harmful molluscs is focused on their physiology, with the goal of developing controls that are effective while minimizing undesirable side effects. One example of a harmful "introduced" & invasive mollusc is the zebra mussel, which has spread throughout North America, costing billions of dollars. Considerable recent effort have gone into finding biological controls such as species-specific parasites and diseases, as well as genetic controls. Binomial name Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, 1771 The Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a bivalve mussel native to freshwater lakes of southeast Russia. ... Biological control of pests and diseases Overview A key belief of the organic gardener is that diversity furthers health. ...

Organizations

Like other scientific specialties, conchologists have a number of local, national, and international organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas.

• Conchologists of America
• Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Club Conchylia, the German/Austrian Society for Shell Collecting
• Belgian Society for Conchology
• Conquiliologistas do Brasil

Museums

Many museums contain very large and important mollusc collections.

• Natural History Museum, USA National Museum of Natural History - The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History has one of, if not the, finest shell collection in the world. (This science is researched here by Dr. Ellen Stronge, who basically studies marine biology but is also involved in Conchology) Some other museums are:
• Natural History Museum, Vienna Naturhistorisches Museum.
• Natural History Museum, Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
• Natural History Museum, Berlin Humboldt Museum
• Natural History Museum, London Natural History Museum
• Natural History Museum, Brussels Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (one of the three biggest shell collections in the world)
• Natural History Museum, Leiden Natural History Museum, Leiden
• Natural History Museum, Sweden Swedish Museum of Natural History
• The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel Island, Florida, which is the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to shells.

Inside the National Museum of Natural History, underneath the rotunda. ... Naturhistorisches Museum at Maria-Theresien-Platz, Vienna Naturhistorisches Museum Wien The Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History) is a large museum located in Vienna, Austria. ... The Muséum national dHistoire naturelle (MNHN) is the French national museum of natural history. ... The Museum für Naturkunde (in English, the Museum of Natural History), widely known as the Humboldt Museum of Berlin, is the first national museum in the world, with a massive collection of more than 25 million zoological, paleontological, and minerological specimens, including more than ten thousand type specimens. ... For other similarly-named museums see Museum of Natural History. ... The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is a museum in the Belgian capital of Brussels dedicated to natural history. ... The National Museum of Natural History,Leiden or Naturalis, originated from the merger of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (abbreviated RMNH) and the Rijksmuseum van Geologie en Mineralogie (abbreviated RGM) in 1984. ... The Swedish Museum of Natural History (in Swedish Naturhistoriska riksmuseet), in Stockholm, was founded in 1819 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, but goes back to the collections acquired mostly through donations by the Academy since its foundation in 1739. ... J. N. Ding Darling reserve Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. ...

Identification of molluscs

Molluscs are usually identified more by general or regional shell collecting guides (example: Compendium of Seashells by Abbott and Dance), and specific books on different taxa of shell-bearing molluscs (monographs) or "iconographies" (limited text - mainly photographs), via illustrations and written descriptions, rather than by the use of Identification keys as in the case of plants. This is because the great amount of variability within many species and families makes the construction of truly useful keys extremely difficult. Because the phylum Mollusca contains a very large number of species and the characters separating them are unfamiliar this is often very difficult even for a specialist. Many molluscs remain undescribed by scientists, and large numbers of new species are published in the literature each year. There are an estimated 100,000 species worldwide. A monograph is a scholarly book or a treatise on a single subject or a group of related subjects. ... An identification key, also known as a dichotomous key, is a method of deducing the correct species assignment of a living thing. ...

Depictions of Molluscs

Shells have been featured on over 5,000 different stamps. This website has a gallery of the stamps, with pictures.

Shells have also been featured on many coins, including those of The Bahamas (1974), Cuba (1981), Haiti (1973), Nepal (1989) and The Philippines (1993). ISO 4217 Code PHP User(s) Philippines Inflation 2. ...

Sources

• National Geographic Magazine, March 1969, “The Magic Lure of Sea Shells”, Paul A. Zahl
• Seashells of the Northern Hemisphere, 1990, Surrey, R. Tucker Abbott,
• Man and Mollusc
• History of conchology
• Symphony of the Exotic Seas

The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the worlds largest not-for-profit educational and scientific organizations. ... Not to be confused with Surry. ...

External links

• Conchology.be The largest online resource for conchology with over 210000 pictures of seashells.
• Femorale Shells Thousands of images, information and links related to shell collecting.
• The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel Island, Florida, which is the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to shells.
• Conchologists of America
• Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Club Conchylia, the German Society for Shell Collecting
• Belgian Society for Conchology
• Worldwide Conchology
• ShellMonster, A large personal shell collection