Buy Fossil Bivalves

The earliest fossil bivalves have been recorded from the Cambrian period. The genera Pojetaia and Fordilla are considered the earliest representatives of bivalves (Bivalvia). Remarkably, these early mollusks already exhibit a highly differentiated anatomy. Mollusks have been known since the Precambrian, and from the Ediacaran, Kimberella quadrata is considered a primitive representative of the mollusks (Mollusca).

Pavel Parkhaev (2008) investigates the radiation and evolution of some early Cambrian mollusks. However, the origins of mollusks still present significant research gaps. Although the class Bivalvia is one of the most successful groups of mollusks today, it was relatively insignificant throughout the Paleozoic era. The significant rise of bivalves began only in the late Triassic and early Jurassic. By that time, brachiopods were already in decline.

The class Bivalvia was first established by Carl Linnaeus in his work Systema Naturae in 1758.

Today, about 7,500 to 10,000 recent and approximately 20,000 fossil bivalve species are known. Fossil bivalves are a rewarding area for fossil collectors due to their enormous diversity. In this category of our shop, we offer you a small selection of fossil bivalves for purchase.

• Linnaeus, C. (1758): "Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, Cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis." 10th edition, Volume 1. Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius.
• Parkhaev, Pavel. (2008). The Early Cambrian Radiation of Mollusca. 10.1525/california/9780520250925.003.0003.