IMIS

The mollusc collection consists of both Recent and fossil Tertiary molluscs and is one of the worlds major research collections. Actually it contains about 30,000 species/subspecies of Recent molluscs (the Pulmonates making up about half of this number) and ca. 8,500 Tertiary fossil taxa. It comprises about 0.6 million lots including ca. 7,000 primary type specimens. Coverage is worldwide. Most important is the collection of land- and freshwater species which is particularly strong in material from the Palearctic and Asia (Thailand, China, Japan, Philippine Islands). Especially well represented are the freshwater bivalves and among the gastropods families such as the Cyclophoridae, Hydrobioidea, Pupillidae, Clausiliidae, Camaenidae and Helicidae. The marine collection includes major holdings from the European seas, the Eastern Atlantik, the Caribbean, the Red Sea and SE-Asia. Strength of the fossil collection is the European Tertiary, especially Oligocene and Neogene faunas.