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ISSN 1011-2375 Dear Members, announcements are the least welcome, obituary notices are still This is the new UMN, based on of interest. Sadly, we have occasion what you have told me you want to include two in this issue. (and some small refinements in the appearance). Although the present Book reviews 94 % issue of UMN was ready for Professional announcements 87 % distribution in March, it was Literature summaries 83 % decided for financial reasons to Interesting mollusc facts 80 % delay distribution until six months Dissertation announcements 70 % after the previous issue. Frequency Natural history articles 63 % (and medium) of publication is still Art 47 % under consideration; I would be Anecdotal accounts 47 % interested to hear your comments. Open queries 47 % Of the 326 current members of (e.g. identification of shells) UNITAS, I received 31 responses Personal notices 20 % to the general survey about the UMN contents. To be fair, this is Our contents, as in this issue, not particularly impressive. will focus on current reporting, However, it is guidance of a sort book reviews, and publication and and I intend to follow it. These professional announcements. But Number 22 responses to various proposed don’t forget to try out the June 2005 newsletter contents give the total crossword and send me your percentage of positive responses solution! The winner will be you gave me. announced in the next issue as well What’s Inside The majority of the you are as receiving a book prize. happy with electronic distribution Particularly welcome in this issue Special Report: of the newsletter, so postal copies is an article by Council member After the Tsunami 3 will be sent only to affiliated Somsak Panha, with a surprisingly Obituaries 4 associations, members without e- optimistic report on the post- Journal Announcements 4 mail facilities or those who request tsunami recovery in Thailand. Book Reviews 5 it. Several readers are vehemently Your submissions are very UM Research Awards 6 opposed to the presence of shell- welcome as always, and I hope that Museum Announcements 7 identification questions, so those of the new format and contents Membership 7 you who feel this way will be guidelines may inspire you. Crossword 8 relieved that open queries will not JDS Accounts Report (2001-2003) 9 be included. It was generally agreed that although personal Our aim is to further the study of Mollusca by individuals, societies and institutions world-wide Affiliated Organisations American Malacological Society | Friedrich Held Gesellschaft | Instituto Português de Malacologia | King Leopold III Foundation | Latvian Malacological Society | Malacological Society of Australasia Ltd | The Malacological Society of Japan | The Malacological Society of London | Malacological Society of the Philippines | Malacozoological Association of Yamaguchi | Nederlandse Malacologische Vereniging | Naturmuseum Senckenberg | Sociedade Brasileira de Malacologia | Sociedad Española de Malacología | Sociedad Malacológica de Chile | Società Italiana di Malacologia | Société belge de Malacologie | Society for Experimental and Descriptive Malacology | Société française de Malacologie | The Western Society of Malacologists Newsletter Editor: Julia Sigwart Collections-based Biology in Dublin (CoBiD) National Museum of Ireland, Natural History Division Merrion Street, Dublin 2, Ireland tel. +353 1 716 2195 e.mail: [email protected] Printing and distribution: E. Gittenberger Keeping the World of Malacology Informed www.ucd.ie/zoology/unitas/ Council of Unitas Malacologica President Members of Council Prof. Dr Thierry Backeljau Dr. Paula Mikkelsen Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences American Museum of Natural History Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Central Park West at 79th Street, BELGIUM New York NY 10024-5192 t. +32 2 627 43 39 USA f. +32 2 627 41 41 t. +1 212 769 5244 e. [email protected] f. +1 212 769 5277 e. [email protected] Secretary Dr. Dai G. Herbert Dr. Marco Oliverio Department of Mollusca, Natal Museum Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo P. Bag 9070, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, Viale dell'Università 32, I-00185 Rome, SOUTH AFRICA ITALY t. +33 345 1404 t. +39 06 4991 4307 f. +33 345 0561 f. +39 06 4958 259 e. [email protected] e. [email protected] Dr. Somsak Panha Treasurer Department of Biology Dr. Jackie Van Goethem Faculty of Science Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Chulalongkorn University Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels Phyathai Road, Patumwan BELGIUM Bangkok 10330 t. +32 2 627 43 43 THAILAND f. +32 2 627 41 41 t. +662 218 5273 e. [email protected] f. +662 218 5273 e. [email protected] Past President Dr. Fred E. Wells Dr. Guido Pastorino Western Australian Museum Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 1 Francis Street, Perth 6000, Western Australia, Avda. Angel Gallardo 470 3er piso lab. 57, AUSTRALIA C1405DJR Buenos Aires, t. +61 8 9427 2809 ARGENTINA f. +61 8 9427 2882 t. +54-11-4982 6670 e. [email protected] f. +54-11-4982 4494 e. [email protected] 2 June 2005 Newsletter No. 22 Special Report One interesting finding from these surveys is that many tree snail species A SURVEY OF THE IMPACTS OF died out because of a lack of shelter. THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN Amphidromus atricallosus and Dyakia TSUNAMI ON SOME salangana are the two species which TERRESTRIAL INVERTEBRATES were most effected. On Kam Island, a INCLUDING MOLLUSCS small island of Ranong Province, I can see an initial vicariance phenomenon dividing two populations of A. The tsunami that hit Southeast Asia atricallosus that have been separated by and the islands near there on December tsunami erosion. However, invertebrates 26, 2004 was devastating, killing tens of living in the mangrove areas are almost thousands of people, and wiping out all safe. For example, one week after the whole communities. From the beginning, tsunami I observed fiddler crabs (Uca Chulalongkorn University has been spp.) in mangrove areas. Ghost crabs involved in assisting the victims and co- (Ocypode ceratophthalma) appear to be ordinating environmental restoration with increasing based on observations of both the Thai central government. I have their numbers and their holes. Some become involved in assisting many Ellobiidae, such as Cassidula and Pythia marine national parks through assessing were brought up to the forest fringe about the impact of the tsunami on terrestrial 1-2 kilometers away from mangrove beach flora and fauna, beach forests, forest together with Cerithidea sp. freshwater swamps, streams and mangrove forests. Some islands, such as Kam Island, were split into two or three portions In our rapid assessments, we have which are now divided by saltwater. found a lot of evidence of the impact of Some freshwater swamps now have the giant waves. The sandy beach slopes become hypersaline with salinity rising of some places in Pangnga and Phuket from freshwater to 38-40 ppt (compared have been reshaped to flat structures and to the normal 25-30 ppt in marine water). the waves washed away some polluting The only three freshwater molluscs that agents. It is likely that the condition of were present have died (i.e., Filopaludina some habitats is actually improved as a cf. javanica, Indoplanorbis exustus and result of the waves. Mole crabs (Emerita Melanoides tuberculata), but some alien emertus), mysis shrimps, olive shells species like the snail Pomacea (Olivella sp.), and some polychaete canaliculata survived. Other freshwater worms appeared in enormous numbers invertebrates are all gone (for example, a one month after the waves. Prior to the freshwater shrimp, Macrobrachium sp.). tsunami these animals were reported to Some larger vertebrates such as frogs be decreasing because of pollution, and have now moved to other places or some of them are rare species. perished. These changes in salinity will Most of the trees on affected beaches have huge effects in this unique have died, except for coconuts and some ecosystem. other palm trees. The waves washed in These observations are based on a about two kilometres from the beach to rapid assessment of only some the forest fringes with the high velocity invertebrates, especially molluscs. The water about 3-4 meters per second and survey will be continued for a year to hydrodynamic pressure about 400-800 observe changing conditions and note the kilograms per square metre. This is more longer-term effects of the tsunami. In than enough to destroy all hard addition, these findings will help guide us constructions and kill people and in restoration efforts. animals. Somsak Panha [email protected] Unitas Malacologica Newsletter 3 www.ucd.ie/zoology/unitas/ A Good Journal Made New Historical Biology maintaining rigorous peer review www.tandf.co.uk/journals/onlinesamples.aspprocess, with the goal to build a leading international journal in the next few Recently re-launched, Historical years. The Journal is committed to open Biology (HBI) provides an international access its online version to maximise the outlet for high quality papers that deal distribution of articles. Full texts of all with systematics and evolutionary trends articles will be made available in within animal and plant groups having PubMed Central, the US National both living and fossil representatives. Library of Medicine's biomedical journal Submissions from all fields of information archive. A print version of palaeontology, evolutionary biology and the Journal is also scheduled to publish systematics will be welcomed. In the first for subscription by worldwide research place, peer-reviewed articles will be libraries. published immediately once they are accepted by the editorial team (via preview; www.tandf.co.uk/preview), full Book Reviews volume contents appearing in printed SCHULTZ, O., 2003. Bivalvia neogenica form annually. In addition to regular (Lucinoidea-Mactroidea). Catalogus peer-reviewed scientific articles, HBI Fossilium Austriae 1(2), pp. i-x, 381-690, will also publish longer monographic 1 fig., pls 57-95. Verlag der works in the field of historical animal Österreichischen Akademie der and plant systematics.