Madagascar - Atlas of Seashells
Madagascar Atlante delle Conchiglie Marine
by Tiziano Cossignani and Luigi Bozzetti
ISBN 9788886070447, Published in 2023 by L'Informatore Piceno, Ancona, Italy, Hardcover, about 8 by 11.5 inches, 20.5 by 29.5 cm., 312 pages
This is a book that covers the diverse and ofttimes endemic marine mollusks, mainly gastropods, that are found in the waters off Madagascar Island. These shells representing about 1500 species are shown in 4200 full color photographs. Among the photos are specimen shells and quite often living specimens are shown in their native habitat. Many of these shells are found in the Indian Ocean fauna and many of them are range extensions for their species. You'll see many shells as well that are found in the East African Fauna. In this book are several species that are newly as species, subspecies, and some that are simply forms. There is an introductory section for the book that is bilingual in English and Italian with a history of shell collecting in the past in Madagascar, recent developments in collecting from the Island, and some very interesting comments on the collecting expeditions of the authors. There are many photographs in the introduction showing life on land and the seas surrounding Madagascar, as well as topography, the terrain, and shell collecting by the residents of this island. There are also photos showing some of these topics in the shell identification photos plates that encompass the greatest part of this book. These are brand new copies of this book, and I can recommend it to all shell collectors as a worthwhile reference work. It is a remarkable work, well done by the authors.
