Bücher von Daniel C Dourson

Land Snails of West Virginia combines historical research and a statewide land snail survey from 2006-2015 funded and facilitated by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). The land snail inventory represented perhaps the most comprehensive statewide land snail survey in North America. Biologists, Master Naturalists, and volunteers across West Virginia collected thousands of specimens, resulting in 459 new county records, 5 new state records and 7 species previously unknown to science. Over 17,000 specimens have been examined by the author alone as a result of this statewide endeavor. There are currently 168 native land snail species confirmed from West Virginia, 11 of which are endemic (more than any neighboring state). Eighteen species are restricted to the borders of West Virginia and Virginia along the Ridge and Valley region. While the land snails in West Virginia are fairly well documented, there remains a dearth of basic biological and life history information for nearly all 168 species. One of the few snails that has received more than casual observation is the federally threatened Cheat three-tooth, Triodopsis platysayoides (Hotopp 2003; Dourson 2008). The book contains general information on the importance of land snails in ecosystems, snail anatomy and biology, how to collect land snails, detailed species accounts for all native land snail species found in the state including slugs, exotic species, and a section on species occurring in border states but not yet documented in West Virgina.

Prior to our research that began in 2006, only 24 species of land snails were reported from Belize. Our ten-year study documented a total of 158 native land snails for the country with seventeen species new to science and 8 currently undescribed species, an increase of 558%! This book is presented as a reference to both the biologist and citizen scientist alike. It was designed to provide information in a clear, concise and easy to understand manner that would aid in the identification of the land snails of Belize. The book includes a brief history of research in the region, status of current research, how to collect land snails, shell morphology, anatomy and terminology and species accounts with color images and diagnostic features highlighted for each of the 158 species. The seventeen land snail species that are new to science are also described within. With 342 pages, the book is the first of its kind for Belize and for Central America; bringing forward the research of early collectors like Eduard von Martens' work "Biologia Centrali-Americana (1890-1901)" and building on the more recent research of Fred Thompson's "A Checklist and Bibliography of Land & Freshwater Mollusks of Mexico and Central America".