Brought together by Winston F. Ponder and David R. Lindberg, thirty-six experts on the evolution of the Mollusca provide an up-to-date review of its evolutionary history. The Mollusca are the second largest animal phylum and boast a fossil record of over 540 million years. They exhibit remarkable anatomical diversity and include the bivalves (scallops, oysters, and clams), gastropods (limpets, snails, and slugs), and cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, and octopus). This study treats each major taxon and supplies general information as well as overviews of evolution and phylogeny using data from different sources - morphological, ultrastructural, molecular, developmental, and from the fossil record.

"Provides an updated collation badly needed... Makes exciting reading, all the more so because in providing overviews of work in progress it reflects divergent opinions." Science (AAAS) "[Will] serve as standard reference for evolutionary ecologists over the next decade." Marine Ecology "This book is a must-have for researchers studying molluscan (or even invertebrate) evolution. It includes an incredible amount of useful information, all of which is well-referenced." Bulletin Of Marine Science "The book has been carefully edited and is rich in high-quality figures... A standard reference for evolutionary ecologists over the next decade." -- Martin Zuschin Marine Ecology

Winston F. Ponder is an Honorary Fellow at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Australia, from where he recently retired after a long career as a research scientist specializing on molluscs. David R. Lindberg is Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Curator for the University of California Museum of Paleontology. He is also coeditor of Molecular Systematics and Phylogeography of Mollusks.