Systematic Classification of Recent and Fossil Conoidean Gastropods
by John K. Tucker and Manuel J. Tenorio
ISBN 9783939767268, published in Nov. 2009 by ConchBooks, Harkenheim, Germany, hardcover, about 8 by 11.5 inches, 20.5 by 29.5 cm., 296 pages, the book contains 11 full page sized color photographic plates, 15 drawings of radula on page size plates, numerous small black and white photographs of shells with drawings of their radula within the text, charts and diagrams of the Conoidean clade classification system
Although this book, Systematic Classification of Recent and Fossil Conoidean Gastropods, has been available for several years, this is the first time I have listed a copy. It is a comprehensive guide to the taxonomy of cone snails, covering both living and fossil species. It includes keys to the genera of cone shells, as well as detailed descriptions of each genus. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs and line drawings.
The book emphasizes the use of the shell's radula as a basis of classification. In fact, it was an earlier study that was used extensively for the 2013 book by these authors, Illustrated Catalog of the Living Cone Shells, published by my company. The systematics and classification of this large family of shells is complex, and this book makes a great effort to do so. It is a book geared toward advanced collectors and taxonomic malacologists.
