Mollusc iss 19 visual 1:Mollusc iss 18 visual 1 09/10/2009 22:52 Page 1 particularly for Pisidium spp. Should the binocular microscope will be available if weather become unpleasantly hot it may be needed. possible to continue to examine material contents indoors. Guest speaker at 14:00h Luciana Genio (University of Leeds) 2 Meet at 10:30h at the bridge over the River Recent researches on Bathymodiolus in NE Society information Society website Loddon on the A329 at the public footpath Atlantic cold seeps sign next to the petrol filling station (SU 3 766716), nearly opposite the multiscreen NHM – Saturday 17 October Phenacolimax major cinema. This will provide a brief opportunity to 11:00h in the Board Room of the Natural in SE Devon Field Meeting re-sample the site next to the bridge to see if History Museum Mollusc Keith Alexander there have been species changes since the Full day meeting of Council only 2007 floods. Or, for those coming by car, at 6 10:00h at Loddon Bridge Park and Ride YCS - Saturday 17 October All - Ireland Non-marine Molluscan database (parking spaces have been reserved next to Upper Nidderdale, VC64. Contact: David Lindley Andrew Byrne, Evelyn Moorkens, the small office) (SU 768717) signposted from Roy Anderson, Julia Nunn, the end of the A329M (first exit northbound (0113 2697047) (home), Liam Lysaght & Eugenie Regan [email protected] after the M4 exits). This car park is behind, 8 ISSUE No.19 but separate from, the multiscreen cinema car Meet at 10:30h in the car park in Pateley Book World park. For those coming by train the easiest Bridge on the south side of the river, grid ref. The Landsnails of Madeira Mary Seddon station is Earley. Walk to the end of Station SE 157654. MAr CH 2009 Road then turn left down Wokingham Road 9 (A329) until the river is reached (about 20 FIELD - Saturday 24 October The Paua Shell mins). Please inform the leader if you intend Nottinghamshire, Sherwood Forest area. Slug Adrian Sumner to come. search 10 Leader: Chris du Feu The mating of There may be a short Council meeting during (01427 848400) (home) Limax maximus this meeting, if required. Aydin Örstan WKSHP – Saturday 28 November YCS - Saturday 5 September 11 The annual workshop held in Woking offers Book Review Walden Dale, VC65. Members the opportunity to receive tuition on Contact: David Lindley Molluschi terrestri identifying difficult groups. e d’acqua dolce (0113 2697047) (home), Subjects: small marine bivalves and helicid della Valle di Susa [email protected] land snails Elena Gavetti, Stefano Birindelli, Marco Bodon & Giuseppe Manganelli Meet at 10:30h in West Burton village centre Bookings to Judith Nelson. Tel: 01483 761210 by the village green, grid ref. SE 017866. (home) 12 Collecting and...eating – Saturday 12 December FIELD - Friday - Monday 18-21 September NHM snails in Morocco Isle of Skye 14:00h in the Dorothea Bate Room Alex Menez Marine meeting [Palaeontology Demonstration Room], 16 Leader: Shelagh Smith preceded by Council meeting. Book (016977 42014) (home) The New Molluscan Names Guest speaker at 14:00h of Cesar-Marie Felix Ancey Accommodation should be sought in the to be announced Harriet Wood & Jennifer Gallicham Broadford area. Cottages on Skye tend to be 17 small and are in very short supply, so if you The Shell Cottage, are planning to attend this meeting, early Carton Estate booking of your accommodation is vital. County Kildare, Ireland Evelyn Moorkens NHM – Saturday 3 October 18 11:00h in the Dorothea Bate Room Field survey at [Palaeontology Demonstration Room] Pilliga Scrub Australia Please note the revised start time. No Council Michael J Murphy meeting. 22 Please bring plenty of exhibits and Snails & shells help demonstration material. There will be a lunch archaeologists learn break at about 13:00h. Lecture to start at about Land and People. A new publication 14:00h. Mike Allen The morning’s activities will include exhibits 23 and demonstrations on deep-water [shelf Diary edge] marine molluscs and freshwater molluscs, and other options still at the planning stage. Members are encouraged to bring specimens ISSN 1740-1070 of any Mollusca for identification, a X20 THE MAgAzINE oF THE CoNCHoLogICAL SoCIETY oF gr EAT Br ITAIN & Ir ELAND 24 Mollusc iss 19 visual 1:Mollusc iss 18 visual 1 09/10/2009 22:52 Page 2 Editorial This is my last issue as Editor of It has been a struggle to get enough topical, current and relevant to the FIELD MEETINg Mollusc World. I originally agreed to copy for this issue, hence its lower interests of the readership. The produce 9 issues, but have finally number of pages than usual and its Society’s field meeting activities are managed to escape after 19 issues! I late publication date. Having said well reported in Mollusc World but Phenacolimax major sites in SE Devon would like to thank everyone who that, I hope you enjoy the variety of there is plenty of scope for additional has provided contributions over the material in this issue, especially the 2 items on the recording schemes and 14 & 15 March 2009 Keith Alexander last 6 years or so, but I am especially long articles from overseas members conservation. Everyone needs grateful to the few members who Alex Menez and Mike Murphy, and feedback to provide the stimulus for Phenacolimax major is an elusive woodlands of Dartmoor - and a few have written articles on a regular of course the whacky shell house in further effort. species; its habits and ecology are juvenile Zenobiella subrufescens also Ireland. With the production methods basis, often at my request and with Finally, please give Peter Topley your poorly documented. A lot of time added some interest. A live Vitrina now used for the magazine we are only a few days notice. I also thank full support and provide him with over the weekend was therefore spent pellucida caused some initial able to include plenty of high quality Emma Pitrakou who has designed plenty of interesting articles to enable discussing what we do know – or excitement before its true identity was photographs at very little additional every issue of Mollusc World and is us to continue and build on this high rather what we think we know – and agreed. The profusion of wild costs – so don’t feel that you have to responsible for the attractive product quality Society publication. whether this applied to the sites we daffodils provided an attractive we have today. Finally, my thanks to skimp on these. Remember that they were visiting. The known sites tend to backdrop to the search. Peter Topley, who has proof-read do need to be of reasonably good Ian Killeen be relatively undisturbed ancient most of the later issues. Peter will be resolution (0.6-1.3mB is ideal), and woodlands, where humidity is After lunch we explored further up 1 taking over as the new Editor (see other images must be at 300dpi. One maintained at a permanently high the main river valley into Thomas details below). of the most difficult parts of the role level by the presence of springs, wet Cleave Wood, but this proved a poor as Editor is getting material that is seepages, and/or streams beneath a area, with a cold drying wind relatively dense canopy of broad- scouring down the side valley. An old leaved trees, but where the ground is stone ruin at the entrance to the not subject to flooding. The sites also valley was the main feature of interest Mollusc World tend to be well-sheltered, out of the found, as the walls had been drying wind. The snails are found colonised by Merdigera obscura – This magazine is intended as a medium for communication specialises in Molluscan Biogeography, Taxonomy and amongst moss, leaf litter and other another surprise for a Dartmoor site; between members on all aspects of Molluscs from Conservation and Mollusc World, our newsletter for members. debris on the soil surface, and often how does a lime-loving species archaeology to life in the sea, field collecting at home and New members are always welcome to attend field meetings demand considerable search effort to manage to find a very isolated abroad and even eating molluscs. If you look back on the and indoor meetings before joining. content over the last three years we include articles, field locate. South-east Devon is one of the mortared wall? This area was How to become a member meeting reports, research news, results from the mapping very few strongholds for the species sufficiently unrewarding however for schemes and identification keys. We welcome all Subscriptions are payable in January each year, and run for known in Britain and was an obvious us to return to the morning’s locality contributions in whatever form they arrive. the period 1st January to 31st December. target area for Conch Soc’s and explore further up the stream distributional project on the species. valley – usefully extending into the How to submit articles: Ordinary membership £33.00 Eighteen sites are known in the neighbouring 10km square. Here we 2 Copy (handwritten, typed or electronic) should be sent to the Family/Joint membership £35.00 county and this field meeting targeted found springs with extensive areas of Editor at the address below. If sending electronic copy using Institutional membership (UK & Ireland) £47.00 three of these and also explored golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium and e-mail please include a subject line “Mollusc World further afield. we managed to build up the site list Institutional membership (Overseas) £50.00 submission” and send a separate mail without any by adding Carychium tridentatum, attachments advising that the e-mail was sent.