The AMS volume titled "How to Collect Shells" was last printed in the
1970s. It has been replaced by a newer work. The current AMS book is "The
Mollusks: A Guide to their study, collection, and preservation." It is 445
pp and was a collaborative effort of three editors and 20+ authors. More
information can be found at
http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581129300
This is the book to which David may have been referring. He actually
contributed two chapters to it.
> The American Malacological Society's publication "How to Collect Shells"
> has a number of suggestions on how to collect and preserve specimens and
> data.
>
> A few particular observations:
> It's critical to keep the data identifiably associated with the specimen.
> One of the most effective ways is to write a number in india ink on the
> shell in a less conspicuous place. Also, it's critical to ensure that the
> data goes with the collection, whatever happens to it. In particular, a
> collection given to a museum with good data will be much appreciated; a
> collection of pretty and expensive shells without data is likely to go to
> the free giveaway box.
>
> Preserving DNA: DNA is best preserved in live animals. Freezing (as cold
> as possible) and ethanol (as strong as possible, preferably 95% = 190
> proof) are additional options for preserving DNA. I don't know if it has
> been tried in mollusks, but in other organisms there has been some success
> from putting tissue in bleach-free detergent (short-term, starts the cell
> breakdown process) or thorough drying (buried in silica gel, etc.-low
> temperature is desirable). Live things die, frozen things thaw, and
> ethanol is flammable and therefore often on the "do not ship this" lists,
> so the main options all pose some challenges to the would-be preserver and
> sender. One option for ethanol is to take a thoroughly preserved specimen
> and remove it from the liquid, putting some ethanol-soggy cloth or paper
> towel in the container. That should be enough for the time it takes to
> mail it.
>
> Some plastics and inks are ethanol-soluble, so beware of possible issues
> from that if you use ethanol.
>
> Ethanol, like drying, preserves DNA by getting rid of water; water helps
> DNA break down. Thus, the goal with ethanol is to thoroughly impregnate
> the tissue with it to displace the water. Especially if the concentration
> of the ethanol is less than ideal, adding ethanol and then replacing that
> ethanol with fresh will compensate for the dilution resulting form water
> in
> the specimen. A few changes of ethanol may be necessary. Also, for a
> large animal a small clip of tissue may be better than the whole thing
> because it gets more thoroughly dried. Likewise, if something is able to
> close up tightly, the ethanol may not get in. For tightly-closing
> bivalves
> or operculate snails, cutting the muscle. cracking the shell, or other
> action may be necessary to make certain it actually gets the dose of
> ethanol, rather than clamping shut until it dies and begins to rot.
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 11:16 AM, Ed and Susan <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> I think it would be great to have some sort of a central registry,
>> updated each year, of willing volunteers anywhere in the world, listing
>> where they live and what they can access that is legally OK to collect
>> in
>> their area (whether land, freshwater or marine), so that professionals
>> (or
>> serious amateurs doing research for publication) might ask them, if and
>> when needed, to find certain material for them and send it off to them.
>>
>> And David, I live in NYC and visit the West Indies and Sanibel once a
>> year, but if there is anything I can do to help you with your interest
>> in
>> malacology, please let me know.
>>
>> You also might want to contact the Invertebrate Zoology section of the
>> Florida Museum of Natural History to see if they know of anything useful
>> you could do to help anyone out.
>>
>> Susan
>>
>> Susan J. Hewitt
>> Citizen scientist, research on mollusks
>> [log in to unmask]
>> 435 East 77th Street, Apt 3G
>> New York, NY 10075, USA
>> 212 – 628 - 6706
>> Affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History
>>
>>
>> On 9/9/13 8:57 AM, "ehecatlsighs" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> Michael, I am neither a professional or well-informed amateur but a
>> newly
>> senior citizen with a late-blooming interest in malacology. Although I
>> have
>> only a little formal education in biological science, I am an avid
>> learner
>> and would love to be able to be of assistance of any kind to field. If
>> you
>> or any of the other members of this list could steer me in some
>> direction
>> in which I might be able to contribute, I would be grateful. I live in
>> Pinellas county, Florida. Extensive travel is currently beyond my means
>> but I do live in close proximity to the Gulf beaches and Tampa Bay.
>> Thank
>> you for taking the time to read this. Sincerely, David Carroll
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Galaxy S®III
>>
>>
>>
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: Michael LaFosse <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: 09/06/2013 6:22 PM (GMT-05:00)
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: [CONCH-L] Amateurs in the field: How may they help?
>>
>>
>> Dear list members,
>>
>> This is a preliminary query to the list. I am planning to present the
>> topic below as a program to the Boston Malacological Club in January,
>> 2014.
>>
>> Welcome to the Age of Big Data! I would like to encourage a richer
>> fieldwork experience for budding malacologists and shell enthusiasts,
>> and
>> so I am collecting suggestions and tips for amateur shell collectors
>> about
>> field observations and data collection techniques that may help them. I
>> would appreciate input from both longtime collectors, as well as
>> professionals at institutions of higher education and research, who may
>> be
>> able to make scientific use of the information.
>>
>> The traditional list of measurable data are: Date, time, locality (..by
>> map and by GPS..) substrate ("On or under sand..." "On limestone...")
>> temperature, and weather conditions. Additionally, notes on the animal's
>> behavior, drawings, photos and video are useful.
>>
>> Could you suggest other useful tests or instruments? Measurements of
>> trace
>> and suspended constituents? How about pH, acidity or alkalinity,
>> salinity,
>> and other water chemistry parameters? Are these measurable items useful?
>> Are there any particular "Apps" that are useful to fieldworkers?
>>
>> Do you have any tips or suggestions about preserving the animal in
>> whole,
>> or as selected tissue sections, and perhaps with DNA sampling in mind?
>>
>> I realize that most collectors will not be able (or willing to go to the
>> time and expense) to collect much of this information and material.
>> Nevertheless, for those who may be interested and capable, what data and
>> material will most likely be useful in the future, and to whom?
>>
>> Thank you in advance for your help and advice!
>>
>> The Boston Malacological Club meets at the Museum of Comparative
>> Zoology,
>> Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. We meet on the first Tuesday of the
>> month, October through May, at 8:00 PM in room 101 of the MCZ. If you
>> are
>> in the area on any of these evening, please join us!
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Michael LaFosse
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Dr. David Campbell
> Assistant Professor, Geology
> Department of Natural Sciences
> Gardner-Webb University
> Boiling Springs NC 28017
>
Regards,
Charlie
.................................................
Charlie Sturm
Treasurer
American Malacological Society
Research Associate - Section of Mollusks
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Associate Professor - Family Medicine
Fellow-American Academy of Family Practice
Fellow-Academy of Wilderness Medicine
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