Seashells of South Africa - Volume 1 (A.P. Morais)

Identification Guide to the Seashells of South Africa Volume 1 edited by A.P. Marais & A.D. Seccombe 2010, published by Centre for Molluscan Studies, ISBN 978-09620-48114-4, hard cover in laminated boards, sewn binding, page size about 8 by 11¾ inches (A4 size 20 by 30 cm) 376 pages, illustrated with excellent color photos mostly 3 to a page. This excellent publication is the first volume in a proposed series covering the marine mollusks found in the waters off South Africa. In this volume the families covered are The Buccinidae, Colubrariidae, Colombellidae,Fasciolariidae, Nasariidae, Melongenidae, Muricidae , and Muricidae sub-family Coraliophillidae, Babylonidae, Turbinellidae, Ptchabractidae and Volutidae.. The shells are well illustrated with large photographs most often with dorsal and ventral views. In many cases the illustrated specimens are the holotype specimens which make undisputed identification possible. The descriptive material for each of the species covered is concise and more than adequate and written by the editors in collaboration with several experts in the field. Introductory information is in depth for each family This is an excellent work and it is by far the most important work on the very interesting and often unique molluscan fauna of South Africa which encompasses shells from the South Eastern Atlantic, the Cape, and the South Western Indian Ocean to come along in a great while. We're eagerly anticipating the second volume in this series.