FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BIVALVE SEASHELLS OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

Bivalve mollusk aficionados: the long wait is over! The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History latest scientific publication, Bivalve Seashells of Western North America, is finally a reality. Eleven years in the making, the book documents and describes all bivalve mollusks (including clams, oysters, mussels, scallops) from southern California to northern Alaska, from the intertidal zone to depths of more than 4,500 meters. It includes photographs of each species, along with a description of its shell, habitat, and ecology, and cites over 4,700 bibliographic references. The publication will be available at the Museum and at selected bookstores, and the museum website at http://www.sbnature.org. The cost of the hardbound book is $99, and will it will begin shipping in late June 2000.

This tremendous effort was led by Senior Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Paul Valentich Scott in collaboration with Museum Research Associate, Dr. Eugene V. Coan. Valentich Scott examined bivalve specimens located in museums around the world and documented over 470 species living along our coast. Most of the species are well represented in the Museum’s vast collection of some 2.5 million shells.

Why does the lowly clam merit so many years of research? Most clams eat by sucking microscopic food out of the water. Along with the food, they also consume and store pollutants. This makes them important indicators of environmental health in the ocean. Bivalves are used as monitors by many governmental agencies, including the State of California, as living alarms, that can quickly warn us when marine pollution levels begin to rise. The Museum’s monograph sets a biodiversity baseline for these vital organisms, allowing scientists to study environmental change over time.

Bivalve Seashells of Western North America follows another multi-year effort published by the Museum. The recently-completed 14-volume series, Taxonomic Atlas of the Santa Barbara Channel, includes descriptions of more than 150 new species of invertebrates, and over 1,400 species accounts. This monumental work which details the life and habits of animals that live in and on the ocean bottom of the Santa Barbara Channel, has been an international scientific best-seller, with editions distributed to more than 30 different countries.

For more information, please call Paul Valentich Scott at (805) 682-4711 ext. 319.

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FACTS

Title: Bivalve Seashells of Western North America

Subtitle: Marine Bivalve Mollusks from Arctic Alaska to Baja California

Series: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Monographs, Number 2

Subseries: Studies in Biodiversity, Number 2

Authors: Eugene V. Coan, Paul Valentich Scott, and Frank R. Bernard

Publisher: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Pages: 766 + viii

Binding: Hardbound only

Bibliography: more than 4,700 complete bibliographic references on bivalve mollusks

Coverage: includes descriptions and illustrations of all bivalve species from the shoreline intertidal region to the deep sea of over 4,500 depth.

Geographic Range: from northern Baja California, Mexico to the north coast of Alaska, and westward to the mid-Pacific Ocean.

Number of species accounts: 472 species described and illustrated.

Illustrations: more than 1,000 B&W photographs and 100 illustrations.

Cost: Retail price of $99. Discounts given to book stores and dealers.

Availability: direct from the publisher:

SBMNH

Department of Invertebrate Zoology

2559 Puesta del Sol Road

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Fax: 805 569-3170

Phone: 805 682-4711 ext. 335

Email: psadeghian@sbnature2.org

Website: http:/www.sbnature.org

Information: Paul Valentich Scott

Email: pvscott@sbnature2.org

Phone: 805 682-4711 ext. 319