The Academy has maintained a mollusk collection since its founding in 1812, with several of its founders and early members specializing in the study of mollusks during the first half of the 19th century. Notable figures included Thomas Say, Isaac Lea and Timothy A. Conrad. A separate Conchological Section was established in 1866 under the leadership of George W. Tryon Jr. and rapidly became a global center for molluscan studies and publications.

By the time of the section’s dissolution in 1905, the Academy had the largest collection in the Western Hemisphere, and it continued to grow under Tryon’s successors Henry A. Pilsbry and Robert Tucker Abbott. 20th-century expeditions included land surveys in all parts of North, South and Central America as well as exploration of the islands and reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including Australia, Indonesia and East Africa.

The digitization of the collection ledgers was completed in 1999. This formed the core of the current database, which is among the largest and most comprehensive for any specific biological collection. Starting in the early 2000s, the dry and fluid-preserved collections were physically overhauled and rehoused under a series of National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, while an electronic inventory was carried out to complete digital records and update the taxonomy of millions of specimens in all groups.

Malacology Resources & Databases

Researchers and students are welcome to visit the department to study mollusks, access the collections and library and work with our staff to use our desktop scanning electron microscope, cameras with stacking software and our laboratories. Staff also fulfil requests for loans of specimens and tissues, photographs of specimens and information on holdings.

Search the Academy’s Malacology Collection using the following online portals:

• Academy’s mollusk collection database
• iDigBio

For the most up-to-date records, contact collection manager Paul Callomon or curator Gary Rosenberg