
NEW YORK SHELL CLUB NOTES No. 266 November 1980 Page 
INDO-PACIFIC MOLLUSKS: TWO RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS 
Hans Bertsch 
Gernohorsky, Walter 0. 1978 TROPICAL PACIFIC MARIN 
e E SHELLS. Pa- 
cific Publications, Sydney. 352 pp-, 68 plts., 17 text figs. 
Kay, EB. Alison. 1979. HAWAIIAN MARINE SHELLS. Reef and Sh 
Fauna of Hawaii, Section 4: Mollusca. Bernice P. Bishop pk 
Special Publication 64(4):xviii + 653 pp., 195 text figs. 
Two recently published books highlight aspects of Indo-Pacific mol- 
luscan studies. They serve two different purposes, emphasized by 
their different taxonomic and geographic cover 
and illustrations. el age, writing style, 
Cernohorsky's TROPICAL PACIFIC MARINE SHELLS (TPMS) should have been 
titled Marine Shells of the Pacific, Vol. III," despite the author's 
disclaimer that the name change was at the request of the publisher 
to prevent "confusion among collectors." Most dedicated concholo- 
gists are certainly capable of distinguishing I, II, and III. This 
work is not a faunal study, but descriptions and illustrations of 
many shells from various parts of the Indo-Pacific. It is an identi- 
fication guide for shell collectors, but is not comprehensive. If 
one has all three volumes, the collector's chance of identifying any 
particular shell is increased. Because of the random selection pro- 
cess for shells included in the volume, the work is awkward to use. 
If one does not find a shell in Volume III, one goes to Volume II; 
if not there, to I, in each case having to use an additional index. 
Obviously, to have published a synoptic index in TPMS to all three 
volumes would have facilitated use of this series. In several places 
(pages 72, 91, 106-107, 119-120, and 145) are lists of nomenclatural 
changes for taxa discussed in Volumes I and II. None of these spe- 
cies discussions are indexed. The arrangement of species within a 
genus is haphazard -- with no apparent order. One is given the in- 
pression that the species descriptions were written and the specimens 
photographed as they arrived on the author's desk, with no subsequent 
thought to rearranging the material into a coherent pattern. A sin- 
ple alphabetical sequence of species within genera would help the 
reader to find species (especially among the 100+ species of Conus). 
The systematic overview of molluscan classification is useful. 
Treating Polyplacophora and Aplacophora as subclasses of Amphineura 
is not consistent with most modern usage, in which they are afforded 
full class rank. I was especially glad to see at least a token in- 
clusion of various nudibranch families. Use of dorid, dendronotid, 
arminid and eolid divisions would have given a systematic arrangement 
to what is now simply a list of families. Of minor concern is oo q 
misspelling of several families (Polyceridae, Tethydidae, and Dotoni- 
dae, sic). ‘ 
The book shows evidence of significant scholarly research which is 
not rete pee in the scanty literature cited section; AGRE OVE Ral Hee 
references and justifications are given in the text for val . one 
of synonymies and other informations presented. Perhaps = rea 
fication guide should not be expected to give all the pertinen 
literature. 
Each species treated is illustrated by 4 photogra 

ph in the plate sec- 
