Volume 178 Published on 09 October 1998
Tritons and trumpets (Ranellidae), frog shells (Bursidae) and distorsios (Personidae) have long aroused the interest of naturalists and collectors, and a species of triton was illustrated as earlyas 1555 in Rondelet’s Libri de piscibus marinis. Many species have long-lived planktonic larvae, which results in very extensive geographical distributions, often in more than one ocean. Despite, or because of this long popularity, aIl this has resulted in a most confused nomenclature, obscuring the value of these species for biogeography, ecology, and biology. The present monograph is the culmination of a lifetime’s work by the author on the systematics, nomenclature and evolution of the Ranellidae, Bursidae and Personidae, and it is destined to remain a standard reference on the Indo-Pacific fauna for many decades. Presented as a regional monograph with outstanding colour and black and white illustrations, it covers the species associated with the coral reefs and lagoons of New Caledonia, and also describes the most diverse deep-sea assemblage of Ranellidae, Bursidae and Personidae ever documented.
Alan Beu is senior scientist with the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences. He is the author of numerous works on the Tertiary and Recent mollusc fauna of New Zealand. He is the world authority on the gastropod families covered in this volume, which will appeal to the experienced collector and professional taxonomist alike.
