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 – a subspecies of land snail

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