Alan Solem

Alan Solem
Born
George Alan Solem

(1931-06-21)June 21, 1931
DiedMarch 26, 1990(1990-03-26) (aged 58)
NationalityAmerican
Known forOne of the most renowned land snail experts of his time
Scientific career
FieldsMalacology
Author abbrev. (zoology)Solem

George Alan Solem (21 June 1931 – 26 March 1990),[1][2] known professionally as Alan Solem, was an American malacologist, a biologist who studied mollusks.

He was one of the most renowned land snail experts of his time and had earned a reputation for his comprehensive revisions of mainly terrestrial pulmonates. He worked on land snails from all regions of the world but became particularly known for his revisions of land snails from Australasia and various Pacific Islands. His 140 academic papers dealt with the snail phylogeny, feeding patterns and reproductive strategies.[3]

He named many taxa, amongst them about 350 species of Australian land snails, and several genera.[4] Some species named by him are:

  1. ^ van Bruggen A. C. (1990). "Obituary – G. Alan Solem, 21.VI.1931 – 26.III.1990". Basteria 54(1-3): 151-154.
  2. ^ Coan E. V., Kabat A. R. & Petit R. E. (2009). 2,400 years of malacology, 6th ed., February 15, 2009, 830 pp. + 32 pp. [Annex of Collations]. American Malacological Society: http://www.malacological.org/publications/2400_malacology.html Archived 2018-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Invertebrates - Research". Field Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  4. ^ Cameron, R. A. D., B. M. Pokryszko, and F. E. Wells. 2005. Alan Solem's work on the diversity of Australasian land snails: an unfinished project of global significance. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 68:1-10.