Bivalvia of the Americas: Introduction*

Abstract

* From the Symposium “Bivalvia of the Americas” presented at the 79th Annual Meeting of the American Malacological Society, in conjunction with the Society of Malacology of Mexico, the Latinoamerican Society of Malacology, and the Western Society of Malacologists on June 24–25, 2014 in Mexico City, Mexico. Symposium manuscripts were reviewed and accepted by the Symposium Co-Organizer and Guest Editor, Dr. Diego Zelaya. In June 2014 the fi rst joint meeting of four malacological societies was held at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. Named Mollusca 2014, The Meeting of the Americas, it joined together members of the American Malacological Society, the Western Society of Malacologists, the Asociacion Latinoamericana de Malacologia, and the Sociedad de Malacologia de Mexico. In total there were over 330 oral and poster presentations, given by nearly 300 contributors. Participants traveled from almost all countries in North and South America, as well as Europe, Africa, and Asia. The goal of the Mollusca 2014 symposium Bivalvia of the Americas was to bring together disparate bivalve researchers and students and facilitate collaborative projects in the future. In addition, we hoped to access the current state of bivalve research in our hemisphere and highlight strengths or weaknesses in our collective knowledge of this fascinating group of mollusks. Twenty-seven oral presentations were given in Bivalvia of the Americas, along with 13 posters. With over 35 participants in the symposium our initial goal was accomplished. Attendees were rewarded with discussions on marine and freshwater bivalve ecology, biogeography, reproductive biology, conservation, systematics, phylogeny, parasitology, and aquaculture. Equally important was the broad swath of countries represented in the symposium including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. Many bivalve researchers met for the fi rst time during the meeting and symposium, and undoubtedly new collaborations were initiated. Of the many excellent presentations during the symposium we invited a number of researchers to submit manuscripts for the proceedings, to be published in the American Malacological Bulletin. Geographically we have included manuscripts covering marine bivalves from the United States, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, along with one paper discussing development of a “cosmopolitan” bivalve. These fi ve manuscripts highlight the diverse interests in bivalve research in the Americas, but also humble us by our rudimentary knowledge of even the most common species and large geographic regions in the Americas.