Systematic Classification of Recent & Fossil Conoidean Gastropodsby John K. Tucker & Manuel Tenerio
2009, ConchBooks, Germany, laminated boards, stitched binding, 296 pages, about 8¼ by 11¾ inches (21 by 30 cm) 11 full page color photographic plates, illustrations, drawings, black and white photos and charts throughout
It is always a difficult task to classify mollusks at any level between the family level and the specific level in a way that will satisfy everyone. There have been several attempts in the past to classify the family Conidae at the sub-familial level and at the generic level none of which has proven to be of great help to students of cone taxonomy. This book is a very serious attempt by two experts in the field to create a workable system of taxonomy for this family. They base their divisions of these shells on the placement of these shells at a super-generic level on their study and of previous studies of radular morphology to a great extent and to a lesser extent on such features as shell morphology,operculum and periostracum differences and dietary preferences of the shells. Only time will tell if this classification will become the standard by which we will categorize the shells in the Conidae. It is certainly a well thought out system and one that deserves our attention.
