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Number 11 February, 1997


FOUNDED 1962

 

Keeping the world of malacology informed.


 

UNITAS MALACOLOGICA

Our aim is to further the study of Mollusca by individuals, societies and institutions world-wide.

 

ISSN 1011-2375

Unitas Malacologica Newsletter

Published by Unitas Malacologica

 


Editor: Winston F. Ponder

c/o Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.

Phone 61 2 320 6120, Fax 61 2 320 6050.

Email wponder@extro.ucc.su.oz.au or winstonp@amsg.austmus.oz.au

http://www.austmus.gov.au/htm/mal/Ponder1.htm

Printing and distribution E.Gittenberger

Copy for Newsletter. If possible, send by email or disk (DOS, or, less preferably, Mac format).

 

Newsletter available at https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mologis/mollia.html

 

Affiliated Organisations

 

American Malacological Union

Friedrich Held Gesellschaft

King Leopold III Foundation

Malacological Society of Australasia Ltd

Malakoloski Muzej

Nederlandse Malacologische Vereniging

Naturmuseum Senckenberg

Società Italiana di Malacologia

Société Française de Malacologie

Society for Experimental and Descriptive Malacology

 

Contacts with several additional malacological organisations exist, but have not (yet) been formalized.


Editorial

This is the first issue of the Unitas newsletter for 1997 and I am afraid it is a little late. It is also the last Newsletter in this format. The next will be dramatically changed in appearance for the better, thanks to assistance with layout and graphics from Dr Yuri Kantor. This issue, like the last two newsletters, are available on WWW, through Mollia at: -https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mologis/mollia.html, as well as being distributed to members in hard copy.

As noted in my last editorial, I want to provide news and information about projects, laboratories and individuals in malacology around the world. In future it is hoped that at least two or three accounts from laboratories, programs or individual scientists in various parts of the world can be included. so please start writing! Remember that this newsletter will only be useful and informative if you make the effort to provide information, ideas and comment. If you are disappointed that your meeting , book or organisation is not listed it is because you have not given me the information!

Unitas Matters

From the Secretary

Membership. This Newsletter once again shows that Unitas Malacologica is active and doing something positive for the malacological world. What is done, is done free, in valuable spare time. In order to do more, we need more paying members. Look around and convert a malacologist to U.M. membership!

Congress on Palaearctic Mollusca. Don't forget the "International Congress on Palaearctic Mollusca", Munich, September 1-4, 1997, organized by Gerhard Falkner on behalf of U.M., under the auspices of the Friedrich-Held-Gesellschaft. Compared to the well-known three-yearly U.M. congresses, this meeting is an intermediate U.M.-supported international congress on a more restricted theme. During the General Assembly in Washington, 1998, we will discuss this kind of U.M. activity. I would like to thank Gerhard Falkner and his Committee most cordially for their initiative and all the work that they have done.

World Congress. Much progress has already been made by the Washington, 1998, Congress Organising Committee, as can be read elsewhere in this Newsletter. They deserve our warmest thanks! I would like to emphasize once more that having a U.M. Congress in the U.S.A. is not a problem for our European members. It's not very far, it's not very expensive, and it's certainly no less international than before! We hope to see many European members in Washington in 1998.

Travel Grants. There will be a limited number of U.M. travel grants for the 1998 Congress, for registered students and "needy" malacologists giving papers or posters. For rules and an application form, ask the Secretary.

New Council Members. The present Secretary will not be standing again. Thus a successor is needed, to be elected during the General Assembly in Washington in 1998. Please, think about candidates for the position of Secretary and members of the Council, or ask for information. We need volunteers prepared to work hard for Unitas and malacology. Voting forms will probably be send with the next Newsletter.

Next millennium. The U.M. Council will soon be deciding on the venue for the 2001 U.M. Congress. Council has decided that it should be in Europe, but no decision has been made as to where. We need proposals, so please write the Secretary, or another Council Member.

U.M. Web site. The NL is on WWW and a home page will probably be developed associated with Mollia, thanks to David Lindberg.

Edmund Gittenberger.

The Treasurer's Column

Last summer and autumn I sent reminders and invoices to members for payment of membership dues. The response was very favorable. Not less than 50 % of members payed their dues, many of them one to three years in advance. May I add a gentle reminder to the other 50 % of the invoiced members ?

Many thanks also to those who contributed voluntarily to the Trust Fund: Sergio Angeletti, Bram Breure, R.A.D. Cameron, Barry Colville, Fernando Ghisotti, Toshie Kawano, Winston Ponder, Willy Sleurs, Brian Smith, Jezus Troncoso, André Verhecken, Thomas Wilke and special thanks to Dr.h.c. J.G.J. Kuiper.

Jackie L. Van Goethem

Unitas Congresses

International Congress on Palaearctic Mollusca. Munich, Germany, 1-4 Sept. 1997.

See announcement in NL 10 and the separate announcement and registration forms with this newsletter.

This congress will include a two-part conference on the Ecology and Taxonomy of Freshwater Mollusca, the first part to be held in Salzburg, Austria, between 19th and 21st February 1997 (see below), and the second part between the 1st and 4th August 1997, in Munich.

Symposium on Ecology and Taxonomy of Fresh Water Molluscs .

 As part of the UNITAS Congress on Palearctic Mollusca, this symposium will be held at Salzburg, Austria on February 20-21, 1997. Details and program available from Dr. Robert A. Patzner, Institute of Zoology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria. Phone 43 662 8044 5619, Fax 43 662 8044 5698, Email robert.patzner@sbg.ac.at.

 

World Congress Of Malacology, July 1998, Washington, D.C., USA.

 A joint meeting, combining the 13th International Malacological Congress of Unitas Malacologica and the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Malacological Union. Saturday, 25 July - Friday, 31 July, 1988.

 Three symposia will be at the center of the '98 Congress, beginning with keynote addresses on the afternoon of July 26, and continuing in the plenary morning sessions during the following three days:-

 Refining Molluscan Characters. (Organizers: Dr. Timothy M. Collins, Florida International University,

Miami; Dr. Gerhard Haszprunar, Zoologische Staatssammlung, Munich; Dr. Diana Lipscomb, George Washington University, Washington, DC; Dr. Winston F. Ponder, The Australian Museum, Sydney). The underlying evolutionary framework of modern comparative biology requires phylogenetic reconstruction. However, hypotheses of phylogenetic relationship are only as good as the characters on which they are based. Major progress has occurred in the analysis of molluscan data, but our embracing of cladistic methodologies also requires a similar maturation in how we recognize, select and define characters and their states. This symposium presents an overviews of each of the major classes of data sets, including anatomy (gross, histological, ultra-structural), shell morphology, molecular, behavioral, and development. It will also examine how we define characters and their states, assess character homology, deal with noise and gaps associated with each of the data sets, as well as future directions in the refinement of molluscan characters and their states.

 Interactions Between Molluscs and Humans. (Organizers: Dr. Philippe Bouchet, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Dr. George M. Davis, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dr. F.G. Hochberg, Santa Barbara Museum, California; Dr. Gerrardo Vasta, Center for Marine Biotechnology, Baltimore, Maryland). Molluscs have provided us with food, tools, barter, and decoration. They have also killed us with venom, poisoned us with toxins, and infected us with parasites. We use them as model organisms to study ecological interactions, physiological tolerances, and as bio-indicators for the health of our mutual environment; we have also driven many of them to extinction. In this symposium we present examples and overviews of current uses of molluscs in medical research, biodiversity studies, and fisheries. The intent of this symposium is to: (1) bring to the international malacological community's attention molluscan research and applications that reside outside our typical scope, and (2) explore and establish contacts, potential interactions, and information exchanges between these disparate group all of whom share molluscs as the common denominator in their work.

 The Molluscan Fossil Record -- Bridging Temporal Scales in Molluscan Biology. (Organizers: Dr. Satoshi Chiba, Shizuoka University, Oya; Dr. Douglas Erwin, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Dr. David Reid, The Natural History Museum, London). The fossil record for molluscs is one of the deepest and richest available for the direct documentation of evolutionary pattern. However, too often research programs in malacology draw artificial boundaries between living and fossil molluscs, thereby depriving workers of the insights and continuity that the fossil record provides. During the last 15 years sophisticated geochemical, morphological, statistical, and even molecular analyses have been used to investigate fossil patterns and explore associated processes. Molluscan-based research into biomineralization, extinctions, stratigraphic completeness, and paleoecology have greatly benefited from these new approaches. This symposium will feature the newest techniques and methodologies for unlocking the history of molluscan biology from the rock record as well as exploring potential future malacological research venues devoid of temporal limits.

 Focus Sessions.

 In addition to the Symposia, there will be numerous focus sessions of contributed papers covering a wide range of other topics. These focus sessions, scheduled for the afternoons of July 27-30 (and, probably, for July 31) will also attempt to address broader themes in the field of malacology. Rather than providing a forum only to taxonomic or geographic subunits, contributed papers will be grouped into themes to facilitate broader interaction. This approach is a deviation from past meeting arrangements, in which all cephalopod workers may end up in room A, freshwater bivalve people in Room B, and the marine snail types in Room C. While the former arrangement enhances interaction within the individual taxon-based community, it may be somewhat counterproductive to the idea of coming together for a world meeting of malacology and exchanging thoughts, approaches, and data amongst ourselves. Rather than "locking" participants by the default of the particular taxon they study into a room for the duration of the meeting, we hope that the plenary sessions in the morning and the "theme" approach in the afternoon will encourage a wider interaction across our individual niches. This does not slight focused taxonomic activities. Instead, it is an attempt to look beyond the usual "in-groups" of meeting participants, by sharing our data and interpretations following common threads of our biological discipline - malacology. For the necessary shoulder rubbing with our respective in-group peers, there will be "Taxon Night" to compare notes.

 Topics of the potential focus sessions as currently envisaged are:

Assessing Biodiversity

Behaviour

Biomechanics

Conservation Efforts

Ecology

History & Philosophy of Malacology

Life History & Reproduction

Phylogenetics

Phylogeography & Biogeography

Population Genetics

Taxonomy.

 Site and Housing.

 The Smithsonian Institution will host the meeting, which will take place at the S. Dillon Ripley Center and the National Museum of Natural History. Inexpensive dormitory housing and meal plans will be available at George Washington University (GW), which is situated a short distance from the Smithsonian Institution in Foggy Bottom (yes, that is a place name). A large block of university rooms has been reserved for participants seeking inexpensive accommodations. (A smaller block of rooms also will be reserved at a nearby hotel for those who are not so constrained.) Participants will be housed in GW's largest residence hall, Thurston Hall, which is located at 1900 F Street, Northwest. This is in close proximity to the Smithsonian's conference facility on the Mall, which is accessible by metro (subway), taxi, or car. Participants may walk the short distance to the metro station, approximately four blocks, for a ten minute ride to the Mall. Parking is available at GW at an approximate rate of $10 US per day. Washington is served by three major airports, including Dulles Airport, which is a hub for international arrivals.

 Single and double occupancy rooms will be available at the residence hall (we assume that many participants will opt for a double occupancy room). The cost for this will not exceed $40 per person. Additionally, rooms for three, four, and five persons will be available upon request. Each air-conditioned room has a private bath and is furnished with a single bed, dresser, desk, and chair for each person. Sheets and towels are provided.

Smoking is permitted in the rooms, although in cases of shared rooms, all individuals must agree on this. Breakfast will be provided (for an extra fee) for participants each morning in the Thurston Hall cafeteria. Thurston Hall also is located within easy walking distance of other sites of interest in the Washington, D.C. area. The dorm is three blocks from the White House and only minutes away from various monuments and museums. The Georgetown area, which is well known for its shopping and fine restaurants, is an approximate 15-20 minute walk from the dorm. And, yes, there will a variety of evening events and entertainment.

 1998 Congress Organizing Committee.

Dr. Robert Hershler (hershler.robert@nmnh.si.edu) - AMU President '98 & Local Organizer

Dr. Rüdiger Bieler ( bieler@fmnh.org - President, Unitas Malacologia

Dr. Philippe Bouchet ( bouchet@cimrs1.mnhn.fr)

Dr. Elinor Michel ( emichel@biology.lsa.umich.edu)

Dr. Pablo Penchaszadeh ( ppenchas@usb.ve)

Dr. Winston Ponder ( wponder@extro.ucc.su.oz.au)

Dr. John Taylor ( j.taylor@mailserver.nhm.ac.uk)

 Rüdiger Bieler, President, UM, Dept. of Zoology/Invertebrates, The Field Museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, U.S.A. Phone 312 922-9410 (ext. 270), Fax 312 663-5397, Email bieler@fmnh.org.

Logo design competition

The organizing committee for the 1998 World Congress of Malacology in Washington invited the submission of designs for a logo symbolizing this event via Mollusca. The logo will be used in official correspondence associated with the meeting and also in the design of T-shirts and possibly other memorabilia to be distributed during the meeting. The closing date was last Dec. Dr Hershler, who organised the competition, received about 6 entries and a choice will be made by March 1st. The "winner" will receive free registration for the 1998 meeting as well as other amenities.

 

Unitas projects

Worldwide mollusc species database. See last newsletter. Contact: Gary Rosenberg. Email rosenberg@say.acnatsci.org.

CLEMAM (Check List of European Marine Mollusca). See last newsletter for details. Available at http://www.mnhn.fr/base/malaco.html. Managed by Jacques Le Renard and Serge Gofas. Email gofas@cimrs1.mnhn.fr.

 

Bits and pieces

An electronic malacological journal?

 There has been some debate, initiated on Mollusca by Alexandre G. Soares (Zoology Department, University of Port Elizabeth, P.O. Box 1600, Port Elizabeth - 6000, South Africa), as to whether there should be an electronic molluscan journal similar to The Fish and Fisheries Research e-journal (http://www.lsoft.com/FFResearch/). Suggestions include using such a format not only for refereed papers but also for illustrations (including animation and audio), non-refereed reports and faunal lists. However, Barry Roth (on Mollusca) warns against undocumented faunal lists because the reader cannot check identifications. There will no doubt be much further discussion on this matter.

 

A malacological story (doing the rounds on the web)

 A wife and her husband were having a dinner party for all the major status figures in Rome, Italy. The wife was very excited about this and wanted everything to be perfect. At the very last minute, she realized that she didn't have any snails for this dinner party, so she asked her husband to run down to the beach with a bucket to gather some snails. He grudgingly agreed. He took the bucket, walked out the door, down the steps, and out to the beach. As he was collecting the snails, he noticed a beautiful woman without a bikini top strolling alongside the water just a little further down the beach. He went back to gathering the snails. All of a sudden he looked up, and the beautiful woman was standing right over him. They got to talking, and she invited him back to her place. They were at her apartment and started messing around. It got so hot and heavy that he was exhausted afterwards and passed out.

 At seven o'clock the next morning he woke up and exclaimed, "Oh no!!! My wife's dinner party!!!" He gathered all his clothes, put them on real fast, grabbed his bucket, and ran out the door. He ran down the beach all the way to his apartment. He ran up the stairs of his apartment. He was in such a hurry that when he got to the top of the stairs, he dropped the bucket of snails. There were snails all down the stairs. The door opened just then, with a very angry wife standing in the doorway demanding to know where he's been all this time. He looked at the snails all down the steps, then he looked at her, then back at the snails and said: "Come on, guys, we're almost there!".

 

Changing Postions

Arthur E. Bogan has taken up a new postion as Curator of Aquatic Invertebrates at the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences where he will be curating and building a small but growing collection of molluscs, especially freshwater taxa. The museum is rapidly expanding, currently building a new building due to open in 1999, and a new wet collectiion facility scheduled to be completed later this year. Contact: North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, P.O. Box 29555, Raleigh NC 27626, USA. Tel. (919) 733-7450, Fax. (919) 733-1573, Email AEbogan@Zeus.Jersey.Net.

Andrew McArthur, the coordinator of DEEPSEA, has successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation and taken up a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship with Dr. M.G. Harasewych. The DEEPSEA Research Newsgroup: BIONET.BIOLOGY.DEEPSEA will continue - Email subscription info: http://darwin.ceh.uvic.ca/deepsea/deepsea.html(see also under Theses below).

Paula M. Mikkelsen has moved from the Delaware Museum of Natural History to the Department of Invertebrates, American Museum of Natural History Central Park West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024-5192, USA. Phone 212 769 5244, Fax 212 769 5783, Email < mikkel@amnh.org (pending).

Timothy A. Pearce is now in residence (since Jan. 1997) at The Delaware Museum of Natural History (see details on the DMNH below).

Janice Voltzow has moved to the Dept. of Biology, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510-4625, USA. Phone 717 941 4378, Fax 717 941 6369, Email voltzowj2@uofs.edu.

 

Profile of a Research Organisation - the Delaware Museum of Natural History

Tim Pearce invites members of the malacology research community to take advantage of the extensive molluscan collection at DMNH through on-site visits, specimen loans, and computer search requests. He offers these notes about the Museum. It specialises in molluscs and birds, having 2 million+ mollusc specimens of 15,000+ species in 200,000+ cataloged lots, thus ranking as one of the top ten malacology museums in the U.S.A. Worldwide in scope and covering all major molluscan groups, holdings comprise marine Gastropoda (ca 50%), land and freshwater Gastropoda (25%), marine Bivalvia (15%), freshwater Bivalvia (5%), as well as Cephalopoda, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, and Aplacophora. Most specimens are Recent and dry-preserved; but there is also a notable amount of alcohol-preserved and Cenozoic fossil material. The type collection contains 1215 lots. The library (about 10,000 volumes) includes journals, an extensive reprint collection, and many rare and old books on molluscs. The DMNH is the newest major malacology museum in the U.S.A., having grown rapidly since 1957 largely through acquiring collections. The collection is presently 71% computerized. Loans can be made to individuals at bona fide institutional addresses. A $500 scholarship for travel expenses is offered this year to a graduate student to use our malacology collection and library for collections-based research leading to publication. In addition to our various displays on molluscs, the Museum's 25th anniversary is to be celebrated with the opening of the new long-term exhibit, the Wall of Shells, in March 1997.

DMNH is five miles north of Wilmington on route 52, located conveniently close to the Eastern corridor (I-95). We are 2.5 hours north of The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, 1 hour south of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and 2.5 hours south of the American Museum in New York. Be sure to schedule a visit to DMNH when you visit these other museums. For more information contact Timothy A. Pearce, Delaware Museum of Natural History, 4840 Kennett Pike, P.O. Box 3937, Wilmington, DE 19807-0937, U.S.A. Phone 302 658 5004 or 302 658 9111, Fax 302 658 2610, Email tpearce@wittnet.com.

 

Meetings

Unitas meetings - see listing above.

11th. International Pectinid Workshop, 10-15 April 1997, La Paz, Mexico. Contact: Esteban Felix Pico, Cicimar-Ipn, A. POstal 592, La Paz B:C:S: C.P. 23000. Fax 52 112 25322, Email efelix@vmredipn.ipn.mx.

Special Sesssions at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the National Shellfisheries Association (NSA) . April 20-24 in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, USA.

1. Scallops: Problems and Solutions. Contact Dan C. Marelli, Florida Marine Research Institute, 100 8th Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5095, USA. Phone 813 896 8626, Fax 813 823 0166, Email marelli_d@sellers.dep.state.fl.us. Information also at http:://www.shellfish.org.

2. Reproductive biology and physiology of freshwater bivalves. Following the freshwater reproduction and physiology session will be a genetics session.

Details of the meeting are in the Late Summer Newsletter of NSA, which can be found electronically on http://www.shellfish.org/. Information from Catherine Gatenby, Department of Biology, Va Tech., Blacksburg, VA 24061, Phone 540 231 5508, Fax 540-231-9307, Email cgatenby@vt.edu. Program chair of the 1997 meeting is Dr. Jay Parsons, Aquaculture Unit, Marine Institute of Memorial University, PO Box 4920 St. John's NF, Canada A1C5R3, Fax 709-778-0535, Email jparsons@gill.ifmt.nf.ca.

Association For Tropical Biology, Organization For Tropical Studies, Annual Meeting and Symposium "Tropical Diversity, Origins, Maintenance, and Conservation", 15-20 June 1997, San José, Costa Rica. For further information: Dr. Jorge A. Jimenez, OTS, P.O. Box 676-2050, San Pedro, San Jose, Costa Rica, Tel Phone (506) 240-6696, Fax (506) 240-6783, Email: atbots@ns.ots.ac.cr www: http://www.ots.ac.cr/www: http://www.ots.duke.edu/.

63rd Annual Meeting, The American Malacological Union, Santa Barbara, California, June 22-27, 1997. The meeting will be held jointly with the 30th annual meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists. Two major symposia are scheduled: (1) Deep-Sea Mollusca, convened by Jerry Harasewych [Division of Mollusks, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20560. Phone 202 786 2073;, Fax 202 357 2343, Email mnhiv006@sivm.si.edu], and (2) Traditional vs. Phylogenetic Systematics, convened by Gary Rosenberg [Malacology, The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1195. Phone 215 299 1033, Fax 215 299 1170, Email rosenberg@say.acnatsci.org]. There will also be a special ses sion on the cephalopods of the North Pacific chaired by Eric Hochberg [Invertebrate Zoology, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Rd., Santa Barbara,California 93 019. Phone 805 682 4711 (ext. 318), Fax 805 569 3170, Email inverts@sbmnh.rain.org]. General informati on from Eugene V. Coan, President, AMU, 891 San Jude Avenue, Palo Alto,California 94306-2640 , USA. Phone 415 493 8242 (Home), 977 5681 (Office), Fax 415 977 5799, Email gene.coan@sierraclub.org OR Henry Chaney, President, WSM, Invertebrate Zoology, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, California 93105, USA. Phone 805 682 4711 (ext. 334), Fax: 805 569 3170, Email inverts@sbmnh.rain.org.

XV Brazilian Malacology Meeting (XV EBRAM), Federal University of Santa Catari na, Florianoplois, Brazil, July 21-25 1997. President of organising committee Prof. Dr. Maria Cristina D. Mansur. For information write to XV EBRAM, XV Encontro Brasileiro de Malacolog ia, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul - Pucrs, Instituto De Biocirncia s, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, predio 12A, sala 211 90619-900 Porto Alegre - RS, Brazil. Phone/Fax 0055 5l 3391511 3148 Email ebram@music.pucrs.br or Prof. Alvaro Fonseca, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, pridio 12 sala 34, 90619-900 Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil - Cx.P. (Box) 1429. Phone 051 339 1511 R. 3340, Fax 051 339 1564, Email afonseca@music.pucrs.br.

The Seventh Marine Sciences Latin American Congress, 22-26 September 1997, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The languages of the meeting will be Portuguese, Spanish and English. In formation from:- Comissao organizadora do VII COLACMAR, a/c Silvia Helena de Mello e Sou za, Instituto Oceanografico da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Praca do Oceanografico, 191- Ci dade Universitaria, Butanta, 05508-900, Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil. Email colacmar@org.usp.br.

3rd International Abalone Symposium. (See UMNL 9) October 1997, Monterey, California.

The 3rd. Latin American Malacological Congress, 13-17 October 1997, Ensenada, Mexico. Organised by the Committee for the Latin American Malacological Meetings. The first was held in Caracas, Venezuela in 1991, the second in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1995. Contact: M.C. Claudia Farfan, Jefe Departamento de Acuicultura, CICESE, Baja California, Apdo. Postal 2732, Ensenada, BC, Mexico. Phone 617 44501/06 or 45050/53, Fax (in Mexico) 617 44880 (in USA) or 011 52617/44880. Email contact: Dr. Martha Reguero reguero@unamvm1.dgsca.unam.mx.

The 3rd Latin American Congress of Malacology will be held together the Fourth Mexican Congress of Malacology and Conchology, in Ensenada, Baja California, 13 - 17 Oc t, 1997. Information is available at: http://www.cicese.mx/oceano/acuicultura/iiiclama.htmlor by writing to Claudia Farfan, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior d e Ensenada, Baja California. Km. 107. Carretera Tijuana - Ensenada, Apartado postal 2732, E nsenada, BC. Mexico. Phone 617 450 50 to 53, ext. 24421, Fax 617 642 25, Email cfarfan@cicese.mx, IIIclama@cicese.mx or cfarfan@cicese.mx, or Martha Reguero Reza, Email reguero@mar.icmyl.unam.mx.

 The other 99% - The Conservation and Biodiversity of Invertebrates. Aust ralian Museum, Sydney, 9-12 Dec., 1997. For further information contact Dr. W.F. Ponder (see contact details on first and last page).

 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (formerly the American Soci ety of Zoologists), Boston, Jan. 3-7, 1998. Symposia of special interest include 1 ) Coral Reefs and Environmental Change: Adaptation, Acclimation or Extinction? 2) Evolut ionary Relationships of Metazoan Phyla; 3) Development and Evolutionary Perspectives of M ajor Transformations in Body Organization, and 4) Origin and Further Evolution of Circula tory Systems. The last will "review current knowledge on the origin of circulatory syste ms, including fluid mechanical design, the function of molluscan circulatory systems, an d the evolution of red blood cells." For further information on the meeting, contact the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60 611-4267, U.S.A. Phone 800 955 1236, Fax 312 245 1085, Email sicb@sba.com. Alan Kohn (President).

 Reports on meetings

Molluscs 97. Symposium on the molluscs of the Indo-West Pacific and Australasian region, Rottnest Island, Western Australia, organised by Dr F. Wells for the Malacological Society of Australasia was held on 1-4th Feb., 1997. About 60 participants from 16 countries attended. This is the first of regular three yearly meetings planned by the MSA in the Asian-Australasian region. The next meeting will be in Sydney, in 2000.

 The first meeting of the Southern California Unified Malacologists (SCUM) was held on 11 January 1997 at San Diego State University. SCUM is an informal group of malacologists and does not have any officers, dues or publications. There were twenty-one attendees from the San Diego, Los Angeles and Berkeley areas. The next meeting will be held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History on an unspecified date in 1998. Contact Terry S. Arnold, 2975 B Street, San Diego, CA 92102,.USA. Phone (619) 235-8181, Fax (619) 235-0016, Email tarnold@cts.com.

 List of meetings. Coan, E.V. and Kabat, A.R., 1996. Annotated catalog of malacological meetings, including symposia and workshops in malacology. American Malacological Bulletin, 13(1/2): 129-148. A very useful addition to the literature, even though a few Australian meetings were missed!

  

Books

 Unitas Publications available for purchase

 Proceedings

1st Congress, London (fl. 55,00); 2nd Congress, Copenhagen (fl. 28,00); 3rd Congress, Vienna (fl. 65,00); 4th Congress, Geneva (fl. 145,00); 5th Congress, Milan (fl. 90,00); 6th Congress, Amsterdam (out of print); 7th Congress, Perpignan (fl. 165,00); 8th Congress, Budapest (fl. 65,00); 9th Congress, Edinburgh (fl. 120,00); 10th Congress, Tubingen (fl. 136,00).

 Symposium Volumes

Second International Symposium on Evolution and Adaptive Radiation of Mollusca,

Perpignan, 1980. fl. 110,00

World-Wide Snails. Symposium Volume, 1984. fl. 85,00

Biodiversity and Conservation of the Mollusca, 1995. fl. 68,00

Ordering address: Backhuys Publishers, P.O.Box 321, 2300 AH Leiden, the Netherlands.

Phone 31-71-5170208, Fax 31-71-5171856, Email: backhuys@euronet.nl

Another symposium volume, Prosobranch Phylogeny (Malacological Review Supplement 4), 1988 is available from Malacological Review, PO Box 3037, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA.

 

Other Books

Cachia C., Mifsud C. & Sammut P.M., 1996. The marine Mollusca of the Maltese Islands (Part 2: Neotaenioglossa). 228 p., 19 black & white plates depicting over 200 species. Paperbound. ISBN 90-73348-48-X. Price NLG 84,00 (US$ 52.50) (excludes postage or VAT) from Backhuys Publishers, P.O.Box 321, 2300 AH Leiden, the Netherlands. Phone 31 71 517 0208, Fax 31 71 517 1856, Email backhuys@euronet.nl.

Or from Naturama, naturama@mbox.vol.it, Italian Lire 88.000, $US 59.00, FFR 314 (includes mailing by registered mail). Paperbound. 43 gastropod families are described and about 220 species, with identification keys.

 Giannuzzi-Savelli, R., Pusateri, F. A., Ebreo, P.C., 1996. Atlas of Mediterranean Seashells (atlante delle conchiglie marine del mediterraneo), Vol. 2 (Caenogastropoda part 1: Discopoda and Heteropoda). Part of an expected 8 volumes monographing the marine seashells of the Mediterranean. This second volume deals with all the 320 recognized species of Discopoda (early Mesogastropoda excluding Ptenoglossa, i.e.: Rissoidae, Cypraeidae and related, Naticidae, Cassidae, Vermetidae, Cerithiidae etc. ) and Heteropoda in 113 color planches with 1300 illustrations. Text in Italian and English. Hard cover, cm 17 x 24, 260 pages with 113 color plates. L. it. 180,000 + 10,000 postage (registered mail), $US 120.00 + 6.50, naturama@mbox.vol.it.

 Glaubrecht, M., 1996. Evolutionsokologie und Systematik am Beispiel von Suss- und Brackwasserschnecken (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea): Ontogenese-Strategien, palaontologische Befunde und Historische Zoogeographie. xvi, 524 p., 77 text-figs, 5 tables, 25 b/w plates. hardbound. fl. 180,00. Backhuys Publishers, P.O.Box 321, 2300 AH Leiden, the Netherlands. Phone 31-71-5170208, Fax 31-71-5171856, Email: backhuys@euronet.nl- see also online catalogue http://www.euronet.nl/users/backhuys/or available by E-mail (send an empty E-mail with the subject 'catalog').

 Harrison, F. W. & Kohn, A.J. (eds), 1997. Volume 6A, B of Microscopic Anatomy of Invertebrates (Mollusca II). Wiley-Liss, New York. In two volumes: 6A (pp. 1-414) covers Bivalvia (By M. Patricia Morse and John Zardus) and Cephalopoda (by Bernd U. Budelmann, Rudolf Schipp, and Sigurd von Boletzky). 6B (pp. 415-828) covers Monoplacophora (by Gerhard Haszprunar and Kurt Schaefer), Gastropoda: Pulmonata (by Daniel L. Luchtel, Arthur W. Martin, Ingrith Deyrup-Olsen, and the late Harry H. Boer), and Scaphopoda (by Ronald L. Shimek and Gerhard Steiner).

 Howells, R.G., Neck, R.W. & Murray, H.D., 1996. Freshwater Mussels of Texas. 218 p., ISBN 1-885696-10-8. Cost about $35.00 including shipping & handling, but pricing may differ when ordering from the distributor (University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, Texas, 78713-7819). This is a comprehensive publication on the freshwater mussels (unionids) of Texas giving details of names, distribution maps, shell characters, habitat, spawning, glochidia and fish hosts.

 Kennedy, V.S., Newell, R.I.E. and Eble, A.F. (eds). 1996. The Eastern Oyster: Crassostrea virginica. .

772 p.. ISBN 0-943-676-61-4. Maryland Seagrant College. $US 95.00 + $US 3.50 shipping. Contains over 400 photos, drawings and diagrams. A comprehensive account including anatomy, histology, biology, culture, genetics, pests etc. Publications Dept, Maryland Sea Grant College, 0112 Skinner Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA. http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/MDSG/PUBS/Oyster/index.html. Contact: Merrill Leffler, Phone 301 405 6374, Email leffler@umbi.umd.edu.

 Korniushin, A.V., 1996. Bivalve molluscs of the superfamily Pisidioidea in the Palaearctic Region. Fauna, systematics, phylogeny. National Academy of Science of Ukraine. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Kiev. Pp. 1-176.

 Reid, David G., 1996. Systematics and Evolution of Littorina. Ray Society volume number 164. Retail price 89 pounds Sterling (142 US dollars), plus 6 pounds postage and packing in the UK and Europe, or 10 pounds (16 dollars) for the rest of the world (airmail). Species of Littorina (19 living and 10 fossil) are among the most intensively studied of all marine invertebrates. This excellent new 463-page, large format, hard-bound volume includes taxonomy, anatomy, distribution and details intraspecific variability. Recent studies of life history, gene flow, microevolution and ecophenotypic effects are reviewed in detail. Using a combination of morphological, molecular, genetic and paleontological methods, a robust species-level phylogeny has been reconstructed, and is used to discuss speciation mechanisms, historical biogeography, and morphological adaptation in relation to habitat and diet. The bibliography includes almost 1500 references. Order from Intercept Ltd, PO Box 716, Andover, Hants, SP10 1YG, U.K. Phone 44 1264 334748/9, Fax 44 1264 334058. Cheques or money orders in Sterling (or US dollars, drawn on a US bank) to be made payable to Intercept Ltd.

Credit cards (Mastercard, Visa, Access, American Express, Eurocard, Switch, Delta) also accepted. Invoices

can be sent on receipt of official orders. Further information: Honorary Secretary of the Ray Society, Nick Evans ( nje@nhm.ac.uk) or the author, Dr David G. Reid, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, U.K. Phone 44 171 938 8750, Fax 44 171 938 8754, Email dgr@nhm.ac.uk

Thorpe, J.E., Gall, G.A.E., Lannan, J. & Nash, C.E., 1995. Conservation of fish and shellfish resources. Managing diversity. 224 pp. Academic Press.

Baillie, J. & Groombridge, B., The 1996 Red List of Threatened Animals. ISBN 2-8317-0335-2. IUCN,, Gland, Switzerland. Also accessible by WWW from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre http://www.wcmc.org.uk. The new Red List contains about 10,000 species, with nearly 5000 in the higher risk "Threatened" categories. Some 20% of the animals listed are Molluscs. The file may be accessed through the webserver at the World Conservation Monitoring centre. Mary Seddon, when posting this notice, noted that there are a few errors in the molluscan files which will be rectified as soon as possible. If you find errors or wish to draw attention to ommisions or data which may lead to review of the categories or criteria, please contact Dr Mary Seddon, Curator (Terrestrial Mollusca), Nat.Mus.& Gall.Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff, UK, CF1 3NP, Phone 44 1222 573343 or 44 1222 397951, Fax 44 1222 373219, Email Seddonm@cardiff.ac.uk.

New listing of molluscan names. A revamp of Vaught's listing of molluscan taxa is being undertaken and should be published soon. Information from Victor Millard, P.O.Box 27208, Rhine Road, 8050, South Africa. Phone 27 21 430 8215, Fax 27 21 430 8420, Email millardv@sabc.co.za. A further announcement will be made when the book appears.

 

Society, Journal and Newsletter Announcements

 The Yuriyagai, Journal of The Malacozoological Association of Yamaguchi (Japan) is a journal of malacology published by the association since 1988. Yamaguchi Prefecture is located in the westernmost part of Honshu,

Japan and has a molluscan fauna of more than 2,200 marine, freshwater and terrestrial species. Malacological articles relevant to Yamaguchi and its adjacent areas may be submitted to the Journal. It is biannually published. Subscription to each volume is 3000 yen including postage. All checks should be payable

to The Malacological Association of Yamaguchi (subscriptions to Hiroshi Yoshizaki, Ihonosho 582-6, Yanai, Yamaguchi 742-13, Japan). The latest issue (vol. 4, no. 1 & 2, Oct. 1996) consists of 200 pages with 7 color plates. Enquiries about the journal to: Hiroshi Fukuda, Department of Natural History, Faculty of Science, Tokyo, Metropolitan University, Minami-ohsawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-03, Japan. Phone 81 426 77 2428, Fax 81 426 77 2421, Email: assimine@comp.metro-u.ac.jp.

 New editor for Molluscan Research. Brian Smith is now the editor of Molluscan Research, having taken over from Fred Wells who has been editor of this journal and its forrunner, The Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, since 1980. Fred Wells will see the next two issues out but all manuscripts and editorial enquiries should be sent to Brian Smith. Contact details: Dr Brian Smith, Research Associate, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Wellington Street, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia. Phone 41 3 6331 6777, Fax 41 3 6334 5230, Email bsmith@tassie.net.au OR brian@qvmag.tased.edu.au.

The Veliger. The home page, http://ucmp1.berkeley.edu/barryr/veliger.html, contains information for subscribers and contributors. Editor: Barry Roth, Research Associate, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94117 USA Phone 415 387 8538, Email barryr@ucmp1.berkeley.edu.

 Bulletin of the Malacological Society of London. The editor of this excellent 6-monthly newsletter, which goes to press at the beginning of August and February, would be pleased to publish details of forthcoming conferences, books, and any other news and comment which would interest the 300+ members (very few of whom live in London!). Send copy to Bill Bailey, 3.614 School of Biological Sciences, Stopford Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. Phone 0161 275 3861, Fax 0161 275 3938, Email bbailey@fs2.scg.man.ac.uk.

 Tentacle. Newsletter of the Mollusc Specialist Group (MSG) of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN)(see also UMNL 9). Editor Dr. Robert H. Cowie is soliciting articles, information, news, etc for the next issue (anything dealing with molluscan conservation). Send them by fax, mail or email. Dr. Robert H. Cowie, Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum, P.O. Box 19000-A, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817-0916, U.S.A. Phone 808 848 4118, Fax 808 841 8968, Email rhcowie@bishop.bishop.hawaii.org.

 Hawaiian Shell News. After more than fifty years of publishing, the Board of Directors of the Hawaiian Malacological Society has decided reluctantly to cease publicaiton of the hard copy because of declining membership and funds. However Hawaiian Shell News will continue to be published electronically on the HSN web page at http://www.hits.net/~hsn. Membership ($US 15.00), Hawaiian Malacological Society, P.O. Box 22130, Honolulu, HI 96823-2130. Thomas A. Burch, Editor, Hawaiian Shell News, . P.O.Box 309, Kailua, Hawaii 96734, USA. Phone 808 261 7465, Fax 808 263 6408, Email tab@hits.net.

 Conchologists of America are celebrating their 25th year. Started in 1972 by eight enthusiasts in Rhode Island with the purpose of uniting shell collectors and clubs in the United States, and to promote conservation and interest in shell collecting. Membership is now almost 1400 worldwide, plus 52 clubs (Membership Director Lucille Green, 12307 Laneview Drive, Houston TX 77070-2443 USA. Phone 713-376 5630, Email DAVEGREEN@GNN.COM). The Society also makes annual grants to workers in malacology, with about $9000 awarded last year and publishes a quarterly journal, American Conchologist edited by Lynn Scheu which contains articles by professionals and amateurs. Annual conventions hosted by various US clubs are also held (information from Anne Joffe, 1163 Kittiwake Circle, Sanibel FL 33957, USA).

The Conchologists Network, (Conch-Net) http://coa.acnatsci.org/conchnet/is a large and growing site about COA, and contains a wealth of information about molluscs, conservation, shell collecting, and more. COA Listserv (Conch-L) is an email-based discussion group that currently has 233 members world-wide. Instructions for joining it are given on Conch-Net. More information on these two additions to COA can

be found in the June, 1996 issue of American Conchologist and on Conch-Net. COA membership is not required for their use.

 

Theses

Adams, S (1995) An X-ray microanalytical amd secondary ion mass spectroscopy study of granular concretions in Hyridella depressa to determine their use a bioindicators of river health. MSc Thesis, University of Sydney 142pp

 Defossez, Jean-Marie (1996). Ecophysiologie de la nutrition de deux palourdes : Tapes decussatus (L) et Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams & Reeves) [Mollusca, Bivalvia, Veneridae]. Of particular interest in this excellent thesis is the new and very important role assigned to pseudofaeces. For more information or future reprints, contact Mathieu Poulicek, Unité d'Ecologie Marine, Laboratoire d'Ecologie animale et d'Ecotoxicologie, Institut de Zoologie, 22, Quai van Beneden, B-4020 Liège, Université de Liège, Belgium. Phone 32 4 366 5067, Fax 32 4 366 5010, Email mpoulicek@ulg.ac.be

 deMaintenon, Marta J. (1996). Phylogenetic studies of Columbellidae (Mollusca: Neogastropoda):

higher-level evolutionary patterns in anatomy, ecology, and biogeography, species-level diversity patterns in the Neogene American tropics. Department of Integrative Biology (affiliated with the Museum of Paleontology), University of California, Berkeley. The chapters of this dissertation comprise a series of phylogenetic studies of the neogastropod family Columbellidae. The studies focus on columbellid evolution at two levels. In the first chapters, higher level cladistic relationships are assessed to provide a baseline for species-level systematic studies and investigation of evolutionary patterns in columbellid clades. Second, the phylogenetic relationships of the Recent and fossil species of two tropical American columbellid taxa are assessed to investigate patterns of evolution in shallow marine taxa, relative to the uplift and emergence of the Panamanian Isthmus 3.5 million years ago. Email martajm@uclink2.berkeley.edu.

 McArthur, A.G. (1996). Molecular Investigation of the Evolutionary Origins of Hydrothermal Vent Gastropods. A molecular systematic investigation of gastropod phylogeny was performed to examine the antiquity of the vent endemic Neomphalina. Twenty-three new D1 domain and thirty new D6 domain DNA sequences of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene were obtained. Alone, either domain exhibited poor

resolution of gastropod phylogeny but together (32 genera only) monophyly of the Neritimorpha, Neomphalina, Vetigastropoda, Patellogastropoda, Caenogastropoda (including Viviparus, Ampullaria, and Campanile), and Heterobranchia (Euthyneura plus Valvata) was supported by bootstrap values. Relationships among these groups could not be resolved due to saturation of substitutions. The hydrothermal vent Neomphalina exhibited divergence values and phylogenetic novelty equivalent to the other early-Paleozoic radiations, supporting its consideration as a vent refugial phylogenetic relic. University of Victoria, Faculty of Graduate Studies. Andrew is about to take up a Smithsonian Institution Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Laboratory of Molecular Systematics, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA.

Phone 301 238 3444, Fax 301 238 3059, Email mcarthur@onyx.si.edu.

 Scott, B. (1996). Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of the larger camaenid land snails

of eastern Queensland rainforests (Pulmonata: Stylommatophora: Camaenidae). Department of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, James Cook University of North Queensland, Australia (Email: zlbjs@jcu.edu.au). This thesis revises the genera and species of the hadroid camaenids, a monophyletic group of land snails from the rainforests of eastern Queensland, and examines the phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of members of this clade using cladistic analyses of conchological and anatomical data. It also uses cladistic techniques to investigate evolutionary relationships within the superfamily Helicoidea, providing evidence for non-monophyly of the Camaenidae. Bronwen Scott, Department of Zoology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia. Phone 77 81 4171/4540, Fax 77 25 1570, Email Bronwen.Scott@jcu.edu.au

 

Molluscan mailing lists

Mollusca mailing list. The first molluscan mailing list and is indexed and fully searchable. To subscribe - email to listproc@ucmp1.berkeley.edu and send the following message:- subscribe mollusca <your full name>. To post items email messages to:- mollusca@ucmp1.berkeley.edu. Maintained by Rob Guralnick, robg@ucmp1.Berkeley.Edu.

 Mollusca had a few hicups a while back but is running smoothly now with the same address as before. However, the Mollusca archives and Mollia have moved to ucmp.berkeley.edu. You can access mollia at:-https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mologis/mollia.html.

 See NL 10 for aditional mailing lists.

 

Mollusc WWW sites

 Mollia (see NL 10) has moved to a new server. This site contains the Unitas newsletters and many other resources and links. The new address is:- https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mologis/mollia.html.

 Conchologists of America, Inc. (see NL 10 and above). http://coa.acnatsci.org/conchnet/contains many useful links and resources.

 The Opisthobranch Web site. http://www.oz.net/~miranda. Steve Long reports: It is going very well with about 400 visitors per month. The search engine is operating well, accessing over 10,000 bibliographic citations, as well as taxonomic and systematic lists. In addition, over 400 links to color photos of opisthobranchs on the net. The Opisthobranch Newsletter is on the site each month. Species lists and bibliographies of pyramidellids, heteropods, and lamellarids are currently being built and your help would be appreciated. Steven J. Long, 20220 21st Ave NW, Shoreline, WA98177, USA. Phone 206 618 2272, 1 800 793 6188, Email miranda@oz.net.

 F. G. Thompson's Fieldguide to the Freshwater Snails of Florida' is an indication of what we can expect in the future in the way of electronic field guides. It is on the Florida Museum of Natural history world wide web pages at: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/malacology/fl-snail/snails1.htm.

 Bishop Museum's Hawaii Biological Survey is developing a WWW database on Hawaii's biodiversity. http://www.bishop.hawaii.org/bishop/hbs/hbs1.html. Species checklists for the 22,000 species of Hawaiian organisms are being posted. Terrestrial arthropods, land and freshwater snails, flowering plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds are now available in searchable interfaces (12,528 species in total). The HBS web server now includes current status as listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for all threatened and endangered species, as well as candidate species (including what used to be called "C2" species) for all but a few fish and invertebrates (to be added shortly). Email hbs@bishop.bishop.hawaii.org.

 Worldwide list of mollusc research collections, including their curators, collection managers, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/main/collections/mollusk_links/museumlist.html. Comments, additions and changes welcome. Kevin S. Cummings, Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, Phone 217 333 1623, Email ksc@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu.

 UNIO, will focus on the biology, ecology and evolution of freshwater unionid mussels. Also mussel conservation issues, including the artificial propagation and captive rearing of threatened and endangered species, are especially welcomed. Subscribers are also encouraged to use the list to post information on mussel-related meetings, symposia, workshops, and funding opportunities. To subscribe send an email message to Majordomo@lists.umbc.edu with the first line of the text of the message "subscribe UNIO" + your email address - nothing more. A WWW home page for UNIO is currently under construction at http://www.umbc.edu/unio. It will eventually contain archives of postings to UNIO as well as a list of Internet resources and an address book containing the names and email addresses of scientist currently working on mussel related projects. Administered by Dr. Richard Tankersley, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250 Phone 410 455-3381, Email tankersl@umbc.edu; http://research.umbc.edu/~tankersl/.

 Nederlandse Malacologische Vereniging (Malacological Society Of The Netherlands). http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Meijer.T/nmv.html. This new homepage provides information about the society and members and malacological happenings in the Netherlands. Also information about the society's publications (with instructions for authors), e-mail addresses of members, and information about collections, interests, and activities of members. As yet, the homepage is almost completely written in the Dutch language but the intention is to make a complete English version. Administered by Tom Meijer.

 See NL 10 for additional WWW sites.

 

Obituaries

Mario Angioy, one of the founders of La Conchiglia, or The Shell, which first appeared in 1969, died on the 20th of January.

 Piet Kaas, a research assistant at the NNM in Leiden, and one of the world leading experts on Polyplacophora, died in June. From the early fifties he produced a large number of publications on chitons was writing a six-part monograph of the living chitons together with Richard van Belle, of which 5 volumes are finished.

 Harald Rehder, Zoologist (Emeritus), in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, died on November 10, 1996. Dr. Rehder served as a curator in the NMNH for more than 40 years before retiring in 1976. He published over 140 papers and, although having broad research involvement in malacology, was especially renowned as an authority on the taxonomy and biogeography of marine molluscs of the southern Indo-Pacific.

 

Membership

Current annual subscription to Unitas Malacologica is Swiss francs 25. Account no.: 10-941,085.0, Swiss Bank Corporation, CH-4002 Basel. Visa, Eurocard and Mastercard are accepted as are all other kinds of payment mentioned in previous newsletters: international postal money order, payment by eurocheque or personal cheque, by bank draft or even by sending cash. Only in this latter case is a receipt sent unless requested.

Application for membership can be made by writing to (or faxing) the Secretary (Prof. E. Gittenberger) or the Treasurer, Dr J. Van Goethem (address above).

 

Incorrect address?

If your address label is incorrect, do not tell the editor but please inform the Treasurer.

 

Council of Unitas Malacologica

 President:

Dr Rüdiger Bieler, Centre for Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA. Phone 312 922 9410 (extn 270), Fax 312 663 5397, Email bieler@fmnh.org.

Secretary:

Prof. Edmund Gittenberger. Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum, Postbus 9517, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands. Phone 31 71 5162614, Fax 31 71 5133344, Email E.Gittenberger@ThuisNet.LeidenUniv.NL or Gittenberger@NNM.NL

Treasurer:

 Dr. Jackie Van Goethem. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium. Phone 32 2 627 4343, Fax 32 2 646 4433, Email vangoethemj@kbinirsnb.be

Retired President:

Dr. Angel Guerra. CSIC Inst. de Investigaciones Marinas, Eduardo Cabello 6, E-36 208 Vigo, Spain. Phone 34 86 292758, Fax 34 86 292762.

 Members of Council:

Prof. Klaus Bandel. Geologisch-Palaontologisches Institut und Museum, Bundesstrasse 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany. Phone 49 40 4123 5080, Fax 49 40 4123 5270, Email adam@geomat.math.uni-hamburg.de.

Dr Yuri Kantor. A.N. Severtzov Institute of Animal Evolutionary Morphology and Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Lenin Ave. 33, Moscow 117071, Russia. Phone 7 95 124 7950, Fax 7 95 954 5534, Email yuri@invert.sevin.msk.ru.

Dr. Beata M. Pokryszko. Museum of Natural History, Wroclaw University, Sienkiewicza 21, PL-50-335 Wroclaw, Poland. Fax 48 71 22 28 17.

Dr. Winston F.Ponder. Australian Museum, 6 College Str., Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. Phone 61 2 3206120, Fax 61 2 320 6050, Email wponder@extro.ucc.su.oz.au or winstonp@amsg.austmus.oz.au.

Dr John D. Taylor. Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Phone 44 171 938 9359, Fax 44 171 938 8754, Email j.taylor@nhm.ac.uk.