Latest Additions and Changes

Latest Change: 23.07.2026 (Robert Nordsieck).

Dear visitor,

on this page, with every update of the home page, freshly published or edited pages will be listed and can directly be accessed using the respective hyperlink.

Common Door Snail (Alinda biplicata) and Rounded Disc Snail (Discus rotundatus). Photo: Martina Eleveld

• NEW: The pages about "Door Snails" (Clausiliidae) has been freshly published, expanded, and freshly translated in two parts (Part 1: Introduction and General Overview; and Part 2: Central European Door Snail Species). (23.07.2026).

• NEW: The page about "Slugs - Life (Almost) Without a Shell" has been freshly published, expanded, and freshly translated. (11.07.2026).

• Apart from the term vitrinisation for the shell reduction taking place during the evolution of slugs from snail ancestors, the term of limacisation now is also used. Coined by the American malacologist Alan Solem in his 1974 book "The Shell Makers" this term is derived from the Latin word Limax for a slug in general and the Limax genus in the Limacidae family of slugs in particular. In the English language, as well as in the scientific discourse, the latter term is much more commonly used: Vitrinisation or Limacisation. (10.07.2026).

• NEW: The page about "Bluering Octopuses (Hapalochlaena)" has been freshly published, expanded by a large amount, and freshly translated. (30.06.2026).

• The page about "Nautiloidea - The Fossil History" has been freshly published, expanded by a large amount, and freshly translated. (19.06.2026).

• The page about "Nautiluses" (Nautilidae), has been completely revised, expanded by a large amount, and freshly translated. (19.06.2026).

• The page about "Cephalopods in Myths and Legends", formerly titled "20000 Leagues Under the Sea - The Legend of the Giant Octopus", has been completely revised, expanded by a large amount, and freshly translated. (18.06.2026).

• The page about Giant Squid species, such as the Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux), the Colossal Squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) and the Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas) has been completely revised and freshly translated. (30.05.2026).

• The introduction (Part 1, Part 2) to the page on Cephalopods has been largely expanded, completely revised and freshly translated. (30.05.2026).

• The page about the Giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) and its relatives has been completely revised and freshly translated. (26.05.2026).

• The page on the so-called Paper Nautiluses or Argonauts (Argonautidae), which are neither nautiluses nor made from paper, has undergone significant extension and revision. (25.05.2026).

• The page on cephalopods (Cephalopoda): Nautiluses, squid, cuttlefish and octopuses is presently undergoing a large overhaul, including massive extension and revision. While translation is under way, there might be some links that do not yet work. We ask for your patience, updates will be given on this page! (24.05.2026).

• Green sea slugs that can perform photosynthesis?! The page on the very interesting group of sap-sucking slugs (Sacoglossa) has been completely revised and freshly translated. (24.11.2025).

• The page on Common or Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) has been completely revised and freshly translated. (05.11.2025).

• The page on Chitons (Polyplacophora) has been completely revised and freshly translated. (29.09.2025).

• The pages on "Leaf Snails (Hygromiidae)" have been completely revised (now in three parts: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) and freshly translated. Also, a new page about "Heath Snails (Geomitridae)" has been introduced to replace the older heath snail page, which also had been completely revised and freshly translated. (28.09.2025).

• The page "A History of Snail Cultivation" has been completely revised and freshly translated. (03.07.2025).
  
  
• The page "Snail Cultivation" has been completely revised, expanded and freshly translated. (02.07.2025).
  
  
• The second part of "Economic Use of Sea Snails" has been published. There are sections about "Turban Snails", "Top Snails", "Crown Conches" and the largestest shelled gastropod in the world, the "Australian Trumpet", Syrinx aruana. (01.07.2025).
  
  
• The first part of "Economic Use of Sea Snails" has been published. There are sections about "Purple Snails", "Whelks", "Periwinkles" and "Abalones". A second part is soon to follow! (30.06.2025).
  
  
• The page "Freshwater Snails Part 2 - Lung-Breathing Snails" has been completely revised, expanded and freshly translated. There are now sections about "Fresh water Limpets", "Pond Snails", "Bladder Snails" and "Ramshorn Snails". (29.06.2025).
  
  
• The page "Freshwater Snails Part 1 - Gill-Breathing Snails" has been completely revised, expanded and freshly translated. There are now sections about "Freshwater Nerites", "River Snails (Viviparidae)", "Faucet Snails (Bithyniidae)", "Spring Snails (Bythinellidae)" and "Valve Snails (Valvatidae)", as well as several other interesting freshwater snail groups. (28.06.2025).
  
  
• The page "How snails came to live on land" has been published. Apart from a section on terrestrial pulmonate snails there are also sections on three different groups of terrestrial operculate snails that can be found on land. As it turns out, gastropods have managed to adapt to life on dry land at least beween ten to twelve times independently, originating from different systematical groups. (27.06.2025).
  
  
• The pages on Marine Gastropods have been completely revised, expanded and freshly translated. There are now two parts: Marine Gastropods: Ecology and Habitats, as well as Marine Gastropods: Systematics and Diversity. (26.06.2025).
  
  
• The page on The Common Whelk (Buccinum undatum) has been completely revised and freshly translated. (22.06.2025).
  
  
• The page Cone Shells (Conidae) - Masters of Camouflage and Poison has been completely revised and freshly translated. (20.06.2025).
  
  
• A new page about Cowry Shells (Cypraeidae) has been published. There is information about cowry shells' biology as well as about their cultural importance during human history. (19.06.2025).
  
  
• The page Snails and Slugs (Gastropoda): An Introduction has been completely revised, expanded and freshly translated. (18.06.2025).
  
  
• The starting page about Snails and Slugs (Gastropoda) has been completely revised and freshly translated. (16.06.2025).
  
  

Archive: Added and Revised Pages

• 2022; 2012; 2011; 2010; 2009.

Latest Change: 23.07.2026 (Robert Nordsieck).