Alan Solem

George Alan Solem (21 June 1931 – 26 March 1990), 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.

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


 * Ba humbugi Solem, 1983 — a species of Fijian land snail
 * Hadra wilsoni Solem, 1979 - a species of Western Australian land snail
 * Glyptorhagada janaslini Solem, 1992 - a species of land snail
 * Aaadonta fuscozonata depressa,Solem,1976

Taxa described by Solem

 * Aslintesta Solem, 1992
 * Caperantrum Solem, 1997
 * Carinotrachia Solem, 1985
 * Cooperconcha Solem, 1992
 * Cristilabrum Solem, 1981
 * Falspleuroxia Solem, 1997
 * Kendrickia Solem, 1985
 * Melostrachia Solem, 1979
 * Mesodontrachia Solem, 1985
 * Micromelon Solem, 1992
 * Minimelon Solem, 1993
 * Montanomelon Solem, 1993
 * Mouldingia Solem, 1984
 * Ningbingia Solem, 1981
 * Orangia Solem, 1976
 * Ordtrachia Solem, 1984
 * Promonturconchum Solem, 1997
 * Prototrachia Solem, 1984
 * Prymnbriareus Solem, 1981
 * Pseudcupedora Solem, 1992
 * Retroterra Solem, 1985
 * Strepsitaurus Solem, 1997
 * Tatemelon Solem, 1993
 * Turgenitubulus Solem, 1981
 * Vatusila Solem, 1983