The collection is divided conveniently into two sections: namely marine molluscs and freshwater and terrestrial molluscs, both of which include specimens of heterogeneous provenance and date, and comprise items preserved in liquid and in the dry state.
The historic core of the collection no longer exists.
The marine molluscs preserved in the dry state, regrettably, are far fewer in number than would have been the case in the 1800s.
A small number of the marine samples preserved in liquid come from late 19th century acquisitions, whereas the majority were procured more recently, via exchanges agreed in the 1950s and ‘60s with the Naples Aquarium, and the Oceanographic Institute of Messina, and from study campaigns conducted in the Strait of Messina and in the Adriatic.
The collection of freshwater and terrestrial molluscs, preserved dry, comprises a total of approximately 42,600 specimens.
