MW9 visual:MW9 ART 16/10/2009 20:55 Page 1 Glycymeris glycymeris is a species Biological Records Centre Newbury Geology Group and for which worn shells have been Leader: Adrian Sumner Kent Geologists’ Group contents reported from archaeological (01620 894640) (home) Low tide 0.2 m is at 17:40 bst 2 sites throughout the Leader: Adrian Rundle Society information Mediterranean area and the FIELD - Saturday 24 June (020 8878 6645) (home) Society website Iberian Peninsula, and occasionally Lincoln area. 3 from the British Isles. A high Leader: Chris du Feu NHM – Saturday 21 October Field meeting Thanet proportion of these shells bear a (01427 848400) (home) 14:30h in the Demonstration hole in the umbo; various Room. Celia Pain FIELD - Saturday 8 July processes may account for these 5 Stanford reservoir, Leicestershire. We welcome as Guest Speaker holes. Using Glycymeris as a case Field meeting Mollusc Geraldine Holyoak from Leader: James Potter Wyre Forest outliers study, the importance of Camborne on the subject of (0116 279 9029) (home) Ron Boyce considering the biology, ecology ‘Land molluscs of Malta’ and living environment of [email protected] 6 molluscs whose shells feature Field meeting Ad NHM – Saturday 9 September WKSHP – Saturday Anglesey & Lleyn Peninsula archaeologically will be examined. 25 November 14:30h in the Demonstration Tom Clifton FIELD - Wednesday -Saturday Room. The annual workshop held in 7 26-29 April We welcome as Guest Speaker Woking offers members the News from Ireland Anglesey and the Lleyn Peninsula Ben Rowson from Cardiff on the opportunity to receive tuition on Evelyn Moorkens World Leader: Tom Clifton subject of ‘The enigma of the identifying difficult groups. ISSUE No.9 Bookings to Judith Nelson 8-9 (01248 853359) (home) Streptaxidae, a group of tropical Molluscs from La Palma land snails‘. (01483 761210)(home) (07767 494355) (mobile) Peter Topley NovEMBER 2005 [email protected] FIELD - Saturday 16 September NHM – Saturday 9 December Helix in Suffolk See separate article on page xx. Wimbledon Common, South 14:30h in the Demonstration Jonathan Welsh London FIELD - Saturday 20 May Room. 10-11 Suckley Hills, Worcestershire. Joint meeting with the London We welcome as Guest Speaker Conchological Society Leader: Harry Green Natural History Society John Llewellyn-Jones from West Website (01386 710377) (home) Leader: June Chatfield Mersea on the subject of ‘Slugs Pryce Buckle (01420 82214) (home) FIELD - Saturday and and snails and -----?’. Happy slapping slugs Sunday 3-4 June FIELD - Saturday 7 October Ben & Rhian Rowson Harestanes centre, Jedburgh. Joint Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex. 13 meeting with Scottish Borders Partula snails at Edinburgh Marine/fossil joint meeting with Zoo Mike Rutherford 14 Sepia elegans Snail Thoughts Tom Clifton FM to North by J.E. Rudd Nottinghamshire Chris du Feu Who knows what a snail thinks 16-18 Does the snail eternally wonder Freshwater Gastropods as it sits immobile for countless hours. where its better nature lies? of Mauritius Is it contemplating its umbillicus Neither male nor female, but both. Malcolm Symonds like the Hindus and their navels? No personality conflict, or gender FM at Bavelaw Marsh Is it thinking of the universal echoes of its discrimination. Craig Macadam & shell: Both halves of a whole, at one with itself, Adrian T. Sumner the whirlpool, tornado; the petals of a daisy; or schizophrenic in the extreme? 19 Recovery & restoration of the double helix; the unicorn’s mythical horn; Symmetrical and asymmetrical, thus neither: marine habitats the Cosmos? opposite and complimentary, Jan Light Does the snail count Fibonachi’s numbers hard and soft, inside out and outside in. 21 as its own Golden Spiral expands? A paradox of fleshy parts Molluscs in the iconography of William Burges Quickly when young, the whorls enlarge: or a harmony, a duality, Ben Rowson 1,2,3,5,8, 13, 21. like yin and yang. 22 Eventually the gargantuan calculations Does it wonder why its not revered, Garden survey of Molluscs become as heavy as the shell worshipped for its perfect spiral, Pryce Buckle and make the snail so ponderously slow. celebrated for its bisexuality, 23 There’s the angle to permutate, idolised as a fusion of opposites, symbolic of Book review the degree of keel, the height of the spire, unity and equality; Kevin Brown the opening of the mouth, the flare of the lip. macrocosm and microcosm 24-25 Endless equations to muse upon contained within a shell? The race against slime as complex as the architect’s draft 26 PMNHS annual conference & composer’s crescendo or Mandelbrot set. AGM advert. ISSN 1740-1070 Ben Rowson 27-28 THE MAGAZINE oF THE CoNCHoLoGICAL SoCIETy oF GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND Diary 28 MW9 visual:MW9 ART 16/10/2009 20:55 Page 2 Editorial vigorous tidal currents around it, carrying shiploads of submarine gravels from the Field Meeting dead shells into Sandwich Bay. Isle of Wight area to make up the gravel One thing Mollusc World is particularly short views, good or bad, let the Council know what So here we are with a bumper edition of which had been lost. He thought that Mollusc World. I have been pleased to get so on is News, so I would be gratefully if those you think of the Society. Do you want the Report: Thanet much copy for MW9 such that I was able to of you who ‘have their ear to the ground’ or magazine to be used for informing you of the The Chalk ledges are eroded into runnels. Pandora shells that are found increase the number of pages to 28 and spend lots of time internet surfing would send business side of the Society – what does go on On the top are beds of Mytilus edulis, occasionally might be derived from those include six pages of colour. This, I’m afraid, is me suitable newsworthy material. It is not as in those long Council meetings before the 25 - 26 June, 2005 with large numbers of brightly striped imported gravels. Perhaps the occurrence not going to be a permanent feature though, it though there is nothing happening out there in indoor meetings? Do you need more feedback Nucella lapillus eating them. In the of dead shells of Cerithiopisis pulchella is compensation for 2 of the previously ‘short’ the world of malacology! – if so, in what form? How can the Society runnels there are millions of Littorina (a Southern species whose distribution in issues. However, I hope that this will stimulate best serve your interests? Let us know. Celia Pain The Society also needs to hear views from littorea, the other species of winkle were the British Isles is focused around south some sort of revival for the fortunes of the Members – what do you like about the In the meantime, Happy Christmas to all. magazine - I already have 2 articles that I relatively rare. Lepidochitona cinereus western coasts) is also attributable to Society, what don’t you like, how can it be For a mid-summer meeting, the weather couldn’t put in this issue. So start compiling! Ian Killeen was fairly common under stones. The soft transport by this means. Engaging local better for you? Use Mollusc World to air your on Saturday was disappointing. A very Chalk is packed with live borers: Pholas people in conversation and tapping into strong north easterly wind stopped the dactylus, Barnea candida, Barnea parva, such specialist knowledge is valuable in tide from going out as far as it should at Petricola pholadiformis, Hiatella arctica, informing our interpretation of the Mollusc World Society Notes Margate and made the sea very rough. A and there are dead Zirphaea crispata. species we find during fieldwork, and the Please pay by one of: small party assembled at Sacketts Gap Sabellaria worm tubes provided habitat anthropogenic movement of sediments Mollusc World is published 3 times a year by the Founded in 1876 the (TR373713): Ron Boyce, Rosemary Hill, Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland at the Conchological Society of Great Sterling cheque drawn on a UK for Graphis albida, Noemiamea around our coasts is a factor which needs Rupert Honnor, John and Richard dolioliformis, which were retrieved from to be considered in future when shell end of March, July and November, and is issued free of Britain & Ireland is one of the bank and made out to “The Llewellyn-Jones, Robin Shrubsole and charge to members. oldest existing societies devoted Conchological Society” to microscopically-sorted samples. species turn up in areas which are myself and worked out towards Foreness disjunct from their known geographic to the study of molluscs. The Honorary Membership Secretary: Point. The Margate chalk ledges are the Society promotes the study of Mike Weideli, 35 Bartlemy Road, Although the tide did not go low enough range. We invite all members to contribute to Mollusc World. largest in Europe. Foreness Point has molluscs and their conservation Newbury, Berks., RG14 6LD. Tel: to expose sandy areas where burrowing In addition to the traditional articles, field meeting through meetings, publications 01635 42190, email: sea anemones might live (prey of A full list of species for both days can be reports, diary of events and so on, we will be including and distribution recording [email protected] Epitonium spp.) we were delighted to find found on the Society website. features, profiles, news from recorders, and schemes. The Society publishes large numbers of Epitonium clathratulum identification keys. Do not feel that you have to write Journal of Conchology (twice a Eurocheques are no longer in strandline samples. Two non-native Recently Moerella donacina has been long or full page articles. We would particularly year) and Mollusc World (three accepted by UK banks.