Full Title: Relation of Shell Form to Life Habits in the Bivalvia (Mollusca)
Author: Steven M. Stanley
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This study examines the relationships between shell form and life habits in the class Bivalvia (Pelecypoda). Although dealing almost exclusively with living species, it has been undertaken chiefly for application to paleontologic studies of extinct taxa. The phrases "life habits" and "mode of life" are used synonymously here to represent the essential behavioral attributes of bivalves related to their external requirements for living space, sustenance, and survival. Reproductive activities are not considered. At the outset of this study the existing literature on bivalve life habits and habitats was too meager to provide a basis for large-scale functional morphologic interpretation. Standardized observations were needed for a variety of species. A program was therefore undertaken to obtain the required ecologic and behavioral information. For convenience, the common Western Atlantic bivalve species were chosen for study, as a sample of the world fauna. Most field and laboratory studies were carried out in three geographic areas: Cape Cod, Massachusetts; southern and western Florida; and southwestern Puerto Rico. The region encompassing the study areas extends from the cold-temperate realm to the tropics. The 95 species studied belong to 65 genera, 29 families, and 17 superfamilies, as classified in this volume, and represent a good taxonomic sample of the living shallow-water bivalve taxa of the world.
Published: 1/01/1970
ISBN Number: 0-8137-1 125-8
Pages: 296
Product Category: Memoirs