In former times some books on shells noted about 120 000 species
of gastropoda and about 25 000 species of bivalves. I didn't count
the species, but I think there are less as maybe is based only on
described shells with all the names and counting several synonyms too.
But we have a lot of synomomys too and many names of shells
should be get in synonomy also in future. So I believe that the number
of 100 000 is more realty than the higher ones.
What do you think ?
yours Helmut from Innsbruck in Austria
 
 
 
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>
> Dr Walker;-
>     I rather like your quote of 100,000 species (give or take a few
> hundred). The number is nice and round. I also appreciate the
> proposition that many species are so far undescribed and undiscovered.
>  But I doubt if the undiscovered species living in deep marine waters
> will amount to as many as live in shallow biomes. There's not as much
> to eat down there. And there probably is more open space for species
> to spread out. I'm sure that many undiscovered species live in the
> great rain forests;---but again, their numbers must be restricted
> only because we have spent a lot of time looking for them already.
>       Art
>