Fisheries Science & Marine Biology

Biology and Ecology of Marine Life

Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Snails
Ramasamy Santhanam, PhD

Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Snails

Published. Now available.
Pub Date: September 2016
Hardback Price: see ordering info
Hard ISBN: 9781771883306
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-77463-607-7
E-Book ISBN: 9781771883313
Pages: 408 pp w/ index
Binding Type: hardbound / ebook / paperback
Series: Biology and Ecology of Marine Life
Notes: 310 b/w illustrations


Reviews
“A comprehensive book on the biology and ecology of venomous marine snails is overdue. The present publication fills this long-felt need and deals with most of the aspects of venomous marine snails in general and cone snails in particular. . . . A standard ready reference for students of fisheries science, marine biology, and other related biology disciplines. A timely publication.”
—Baskaran Manimaran, Professor and Vice-Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Fisheries University, India (from the Foreword)

Now Available in Paperback


Here is the first comprehensive volume exclusively on marine cone snails, providing descriptions of over 100 species of hazardous marine snails along with their biological and ecological characteristics; the characteristics of conotoxins; information on cone snail injuries and their treatment along with prevention measures; and the therapeutic and medicinal values of conotoxins, including as a powerful nonaddictive painkiller, an epilepsy drug, and more. Over 275 color illustrations accompany the text for easy identification.

Marine snails form the dominant component of molluscan faunas throughout the world’s oceans. There are about 600 different species of cone snails found distributed in warm and tropical seas and oceans worldwide, and the greatest diversity is seen in the Western Indo-Pacific Region. Cone snail venoms such as conotoxins and conopeptides show great promise as a source of new and medically important substances. The synthetic version of the conopeptide called ziconotide has been approved as a medication in the United States by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is in current use as an analgesic (pain reliever). Conantokins, which are a family of conopeptides found in cone snail venom, serve as “sleeper peptides,” and these peptides work by a mechanism that may be helpful for people with epilepsy.

Several medicinal benefits have been identified from marine cone snails, and this book will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers of disciplines such as fisheries science, marine biology, and zoology.

CONTENTS:
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Snails
3. Profile of Venomous Marine Snails
4. Conotoxins
5. Envenomation of Cone Snails
6. Therapeutic Uses of Cone Snail Venoms
Index


About the Authors / Editors:
Ramasamy Santhanam, PhD
Former Dean, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India

Dr. Ramasamy Santhanam is the former dean of Fisheries College and Research Institute, Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India. His fields of specialization are marine biology and fisheries environment. Presently he is serving as a resource person for various universities of India. He has also served as an expert for the Environment Management Capacity Building, a World Bank–aided project of the Department of Ocean Development, India. He has been a member of the American Fisheries Society, United States; World Aquaculture Society, United States; Global Fisheries Ecosystem Management Network (GFEMN), United States; and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Commission on Ecosystem Management, Switzerland. To his credit, Dr. Santhanam has 15 books on fisheries science and 70 research papers.




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