Utah Mollusk Identification Guide

Eric J. Wagner

The most up-to-date and comprehensive guide available for identifying snails, slugs, and bivalves in Utah and neighboring areas

The Utah Mollusk Identification Guide offers the latest information for identifying aquatic and terrestrial snails, slugs, clams, and mussels within the state of Utah, providing comparative tables, taxonomic keys, and more than 230 images, including many type specimen images published for the first time. Amateur naturalists and biologists alike will benefit from detailed information regarding size, type, specimen location, junior synonyms (including taxonomy notes), and original descriptions for each of the 139 species. Clarifying notes from the author help to differentiate similar species.

In contrast to older guides, this book includes data on the external and internal anatomy of mollusks and updated taxonomic names. Family descriptions and miscellaneous data on ecology, life history, and genetics offer readers a wide lens to understand Utah’s mollusks. Data based on historical articles, museum records, personal observations, and collections point to the wide distribution of mollusks found in Utah. Although the focus is on Utah mollusks, the data, images, references, and taxonomy details within the guide will be of interest to many outside the state.

Eric J. Wagner recently retired from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, where he worked for 30 years conducting fisheries and aquaculture research and monitoring aquatic invasive species. He has authored numerous research articles on aquaculture and A Guide to the Identification of Tailed Myxobolidae of the World, an open-access textbook and guide to a group of fish parasites in the phylum Myxozoa.

“The first update of Utah mollusks since 1929. This book will unify the taxonomy in Utah and adjacent regions of aquatic and terrestrial mollusks and their habitat, a necessity for intermountain biological diversity and for conservation assessments.”

—Peter Hovingh, retired biologist, expert on western mollusks

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