Icons of Evolution

Pacific Island tree-snails of the family Partulidae

Justin Gerlach

$161.95 $129.18

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Phelsuma Press
19 September 2016

Taxonomy & systematics; Evolution; Conservation of the environment

Summary
Details

The partulid tree-snails of the Pacific Islands are today best known for their tragic recent history. Following the introduction of predatory snails a third of partulid species are now extinct and almost all others threatened with extinction. As most of these extinctions took place in a 20 year period this is one of the most dramatic rates of extinction ever recorded. Before Partula became icons of extinction, they were central to the development of our understanding of evolutionary biology. This started with the pioneering field studies of evolution by Henry Crampton in 1908 and led to laboratory genetics studies of the inheritance of genetic traits.

Crampton's great work on Partula was unfinished by the time of his death. This book marks the centenary of the publication of Crampton's first volume by completing his work, and updates it with a full revision of the taxonomy, and comprehensive accounts of what is known of the history, ecology, evolution and conservation of the family. This revision consolidates the 344 names applied to the family into 103 species, including the description of 6 new species. Each valid species is described with full references and synonyms, distribution maps, and photographs of 842 shells: type specimens of each species and all colour varieties. This is based on measurements of 125,824 shells, dissections of 1,244 snails and the analysis of 30 years of data from the captive breeding programme.

By: Justin Gerlach
Imprint: Phelsuma Press
Dimensions: Height: 279mm, Width: 216mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 1.080kg
ISBN: 9780993220340
ISBN 10: 0993220347
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 19 September 2016
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active