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''The Festivus'' is a publication about
malacology Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...
and
conchology Conchology () is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs; however, malacology is the study of molluscs as whole organisms, whereas conchology is confined to the study of their shells. It includ ...
published by the San Diego Shell Club in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, California. ''The Festivus'' started in 1970 as a shell club newsletter edited by Blanche Brewer. In 1976 Carole Hertz became the editor, and gradually ''The Festivus'' became more scientifically respectable, and was transformed into a
peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such ...
. From 1985 up until 2014, issues of ''The Festivus'' contained scientific papers on mollusks, and each paper was peer-reviewed by a professional malacologist. Eleven issues were published annually: one issue per month, except for the month of December. Carole Hertz was editor for 37 years. In March 2014, the editorship was changed: David P. Berschauer and David B. Waller became co-editors. The journal was altered in both format and scope; it became a quarterly publication in full color, and included scientific articles, popular articles and advertising. The focus of the journal continues to be scientific
peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
articles, including descriptions of new
taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
. Articles of general interest are also published, and are located in the back half of the journal. At the end of 2017, over 200 copies of ''The Festivus'' were printed and distributed each quarter.


Name

The publication was named in honor of a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of carnivorous
sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the a ...
which occurs locally: the "Festive Murex", previously known as ''Murex festivus'', and now known as '' Pteropurpura festiva''.


History

''The Festivus'' was established in 1970 as a shell club newsletter edited by Blanche Brewer. Carole Hertz was the second editor, and after 1976, under her guidance, the publication grew and evolved into a scientific journal. The journal was published monthly from January through November each year. In 1984 the journal had a "sleek new look" and obtained an
ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...
number. The front page of the January 1985 issue included for the first time a list of a Scientific Review Board of nine professional malacologists. By 2006, there were 13 professionals in the Review Board. Fifteen special issues and special supplements were published between 1978 and 2002. During 1977, an error was made in the volume numbers printed in the journal issues. The first eight issues of 1977 were correctly shown as being part of Volume VIII. However, the last three issues of that year were listed as being part of Volume IX. Despite this error in numbering, there are in fact no "missing issues".


Change in format in 2014

In February 2014, it was announced that ''The Festivus'' was changing editorship and it would, from that point on, be published quarterly in both electronic and print format. In addition to scientific articles, popular articles of general interest and advertising were to be included. The first quarterly issue was published in May 2014, and this for the first time included articles naming new
taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
. In 2018, the
peer-review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
board consisted of over twenty professional malacologists worldwide.


Special supplements up to 2009

Occasionally, ''The Festivus'' has published special issues, and book-like "Special Supplements". The special issues and supplements published while Carole Hertz was editor are listed in this section. They are primarily in chronological order, except for two groupings by author. Special Issues: * February 1978, "The George Radwin Memorial Issue" * October 1978, ''Superfamily, Muricacea: Catalogue of Coralliophilidae'' by Antony D'Attilio * November 1979, "Interpretation of Typhine Morphology with Special Reference to '' Typhisala'' Clark (Keen & Campbell, 1964) Supplement: * January 1984, "Illustrations of the Types named by S. Stillman Berry in his "Leaflets in Malacology", by Carole M. Hertz Special Issue: * March 1980, "Seastar Predation on Mollusks in the San Felipe Bay Area,
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, Mexico", by Joyce Gemmell, Carole Hertz, and Barbara Myers Supplements: * March 1980, "A Faunal Study of the Bivalves of San Felipe and Environs, Gulf of California, from the Gemmell Collection (1965 to 1976)", 72 pages * November 1988, "An Illustrated Catalogue of the Family Typhidae Cossman, 1903 (Gastropoda: Muricidae), By Anthony d'Attilio and Carole M. Hertz. 73 pages ::Supplements by Carole Skogland 1991–2002 (grouped together): ::* 1991, "Additions to the Panamic Province Opisthobranchia (Mollusca) Literature 1971 to 1990" by Carol Skoglund ::* 1991, "Additions to the Panamic Province Bivalve (Mollusca) Literature 1971 to 1990" by Carol Skoglund ::* 1992, "Additions to the Panamic Province Gastropod (Mollusca) Literature 1971 to 1992" by Carol Skoglund ::* 2001, "Panamic Province Molluscan Literature Additions and Changes from 1971 through 2000, I Bivalvia II Polyplacophora", by Carol Skoglund ::* 2002, "Panamic Province Molluscan Literature Additions and Changes from 1971 through 2001, III Gastropoda" by Carol Skoglund ::Supplements by Kirstie L. Kaiser 1997–2001 (grouped together): ::* 1997, "The Recent Molluscan Marine Fauna of the Islas Galápagos" by Kirstie L. Kaiser, 67+ pages ::* 2001, "The Recent Molluscan Marine Fauna of the Isla de Malpelo, Colombia, by Kirstie L. Kaiser, 149+ pages * 1996, "The Genus ''
Spondylus ''Spondylus'' is a genus of bivalve molluscs, the only genus in the family Spondylidae.MolluscaBase (2019). MolluscaBase. Spondylus Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=t ...
'' (Bivalvia: Spondylidae) of the Panamic Province" by Carol Skoglund and David K. Mulliner * 1996, "An Atlas of Cowrie Radulae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cypraeoidea:
Cypraeidae Cypraeidae, commonly named the cowries ( cowry), is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies. Shell description Cypraeidae have adult s ...
)" by Hugh Bradner and E. Alison Kay, 179 pages Special issue: * 2009, "Chitons known from the benthic monitoring program in the Southern California Bight" by T. Stebbins and D. Eernisse.


Newer special supplements and books

Published since March 2014, under the new editorship, were: * 2014, ''Iconography of the ''
Haliotis ''Haliotis'', common name abalone, is the only genus in the family Haliotidae. This genus once contained six subgenera. These subgenera have become alternate representations of ''Haliotis''. The genus consists of small to very large, edible, h ...
'' Species and Subspecies of Australia and New Zealand'' by Buzz Owen and Robert Kershaw * 2015: ''The Living and Fossil ''
Busycon ''Busycon'' is a genus of very large edible sea snails in the subfamily Busyconinae. These snails are commonly known in the United States as ''whelks'' or ''Busycon whelks''. Less commonly they are loosely, and somewhat misleadingly, called "con ...
'' Whelks: Iconic Mollusks of Eastern North America'' by Edward J. Petuch, Robert F. Myers, and David P. Berschauer * 2016: ''Chitons: The Polyplacophora from the Mexican Pacific'' by Adriana Reyes-Gomez * 2017: ''Aberrant Geomorphological Affinities in Four Conoidean Gastropod Genera, with the Descriptions of Fourteen New Hemilienardia Species from the Indo-Pacific'' by Shawn Wiedrick


References


External links


''The Festivus''
at
Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL operates as worldwide consortiumof natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries working toge ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Festivus, The Malacology journals Publications established in 1970 English-language journals Academic journals published by learned and professional societies Quarterly journals 1970 establishments in California