ISSN 1011-2375 Dear Members, applicants. In 2009 there were only two student research awards Everyone is anxious for news made, and we heartily of the exciting 2010 Congress in congratulate those two young Phuket, Thailand. Somsak Panha malacologists (p. 4). is doing a brilliant job organising what promises to be a great I am happy to see additional meeting. In particular, please note short research reports from the that the dedicated Congress ‘grown up’ membership, and as website – www.wcm2010.com – always your contributions is full of detailed information and (research, book reviews, puzzles, the full instructions for etc.) are very welcome. registration and submission of These newsletters usually abstracts. occur at intervals that may appear It has also been a busy period erratic to the casual observer, but with other UM business. which are in fact carefully timed Importantly, the UM website has at 8-monthly intervals. But moved to a permanent ‘non- occasionally, such as in this issue, denominational’ address, the sequence is genuinely without independent of any academic order. The present issue was Number 28 institution for the first time. You expected in August 2009, but was November 2009 may not notice the difference, as delayed when I moved to a new it looks exactly the same, but academic position this summer, What’s Inside please note the new URL for your where I am now in charge of the reference: marine station in beautiful Secretary’s Column 3 Strangford Lough, a giant marine www.unitasmalacologica.org WCM 2010 travel grants 3 lagoon in Northern Ireland (note Student Research Awards This issue contains excellent the new address below). New winners, 2009 4 reports on the research from our The next issue, UMN29, will Reports, 2008 (four of them!) 4 four student award winners from Member Reports be published in April 2010, with last year (volute digestion, p. 4; Snail-eating snakes 11 final information about larval dispersal and speciation, p. From Leiden with love 12 WCM2010! New publications 13 6; landsnails and leaf rot, p. 8; Treasurer’s Column 14 microsnails and habitat quality, p. JDS WCM 2010 15 9). The quality and detail of these Obituaries 16 reports should be a guideline for this years’ winners and future Our aim is to further the study of Mollusca by individuals, societies and institutions world-wide Affiliated Organisations American Malacological Society | Belgische Vereniging voor Conchyliologie | Conchology, Inc. | Deutsche Malakozoologische Gesellschaft | Friedrich Held Gesellschaft | Hungarian Malacological Society | 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 | Société française de Malacologie | The Western Society of Malacologists Newsletter Editor: Dr. Julia Sigwart Queen’s University Belfast Marine Laboratory Portaferry, Northern Ireland BT22 1PF e.mail: [email protected] Keeping the World of Malacology Informed www.unitasmalacologica.org/ Council of Unitas Malacologica President Members of Council Dr. Somsak Panha Dr. Guido Pastorino Department of Biology Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Faculty of Science Avda. Angel Gallardo 470 3er piso lab. 80 Chulalongkorn University C1405DJR Buenos Aires Phyathai Road, Patumwan ARGENTINA Bangkok 10330 t. +54-11-4982 6670 THAILAND e. [email protected] t. +662 218 5273 e. [email protected] Dr. Mary Seddon Bracken Tor Saxon Gate Secretary Okehampton Dr. Dai G. Herbert Devon Department of Mollusca, Natal Museum EX20 1QW P. Bag 9070, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, U.K. SOUTH AFRICA t. +44 (0)773 888 4804 t. +33 345 1404 e. [email protected] e. [email protected] Dr. Ellen Strong Treasurer Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Dr. Jackie Van Goethem PO Box 37012 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, MRC 163 Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels Washington DC 20013-7012 BELGIUM U.S.A t. +32 2 627 43 43 t. +1 202 633 1742 e. [email protected] e. [email protected] Past President Dr. Aileen Tan Shau Hwai Prof. Dr. Thierry Backeljau Universiti Sains Malaysia Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Vautierstraat 29, B-1000 Brussels, Penang, 11800 BELGIUM MALAYSIA t. +32 2 627 43 39 t. +60 (6)04 657 7888 e. [email protected] e. [email protected] 2 November 2009 Newsletter No. 28 Secretary’s Column TRAVEL GRANTS TO ATTEND THE WORLD CONGRESS OF Dear Members MALACOLOGY, PHUKET, For reasons of economy, the UM THAILAND 18-24 JULY, 2010 Council did not have a formal meeting in person during 2009. Instead a ‘mini- council meeting’ was arranged in Unitas Malacologica will provide Brussels on May 8, to coincide with a travel grants to help students of visit our President Somsak Panha was malacology attend the World Congress of undertaking in Europe. Issues for Malacology, Thailand 2010. An discussion were circulated in advance so anticipated sum of 25,000 will be set that councillors not attending could aside for this purpose. The maximum contribute their perspectives in absentia. amount for any award will be 800 for Essentially the meeting was an applicants from outside SE Asia, and opportunity for Somsak to discuss his 400 for those from SE Asia. plans for WCM 2010 with two key Anyone actively involved in the people - Thierry Backeljau [Past study of molluscs may apply, whether President] and Jackie van Goethem amateur or professional. Preference will, [Treasurer]. however, be given to registered In terms of other secretarial business, postgraduate students and malacologists Council was disappointed with the who do not have access to significant relatively low number of applications for alternative funding. A major aim is to the UM Student Research Awards for encourage wider representation at 2009, although again, it was not an easy congresses of malacology students from task to assess them since they spanned areas such as Asia, Africa, South such a spectrum of topics. In the end, America and Eastern Europe. however, there was a clear consensus Competition for these awards is high and amongst the panel regarding the two established malacologists with permanent winning applications – so congratulations institutional posts are encouraged to seek to them – make good use of UM’s funding elsewhere. money! (Further details of the winners Awards will be made on the basis of and their projects are given below). merit and need, as determined by the Election of new office bearers Council of UM. To be eligible, applicants must be a member of Unitas In the last newsletter I put out a call Malacologica or of an affiliated for the nomination of new office bearers organisation, and all applicants must (Secretary, Treasurer and one council indicate that they will present either an member), but I am afraid that as usual the oral paper or a poster. Successful response from members has been, let’s applicants will receive their awards upon say ‘disappointing’. Council has given registration at the congress venue in this matter a considerable amount of Phuket. thought - and indeed we are still thinking. Hence we are not yet in a position to In addition to the completed form, present a firm list of nominations, but applicants must send a half-page there is still a while to go and we will do summary of the proposed paper or poster, this in plenty of time before next year’s and a supporting letter from a referee or WCM. supervisor outlining the qualities of the applicant and their work. An electronic application form is Dai Herbert available from the UM website Secretary www.wcm2010.com/travel_grants.asp The completed form, together with Unitas Malacologica Newsletter 3 www.unitasmalacologica.org/ the abstract/summary of the presentation 2008 Award Reports and the letter of support should be e- mailed to the UM Secretary Four Student Research Awards were ([email protected]). made for 2008. The winners, in alphabetical order, are as follows, with some inevitable small changes to the The closing date for applications is 1 research project titles: February, 2010. Florencia ARRIGHETTI (Universidad de Buenos Aires) Ultrastructure of the digestive gland of the marine gastropod Adelomelon beckii UM Student Research (Broderip 1836) Awards Martine CLAREMONT (Natural History Winners – 2009 Museum, London and Imperial College, University of London) Two awards, in alphabetical order, were What is the scale of phylogenetic made as follows: differentiation in a muricid with teleplanic larvae? Erin MEYER (University of California Berkeley) Marty MEYER (University of Hawaii at Phylogeography, habitat modelling, and Manoa) conservation of Cittarium pica Ecosystem services provided by terrestrial Mollusca in Hawaiian (Vetigastropoda: Trochoidea) in the rainforests Lesser Antilles. Norhanis RAZALLI (Universiti Sains Gleisse NUNES (Universidade do Estado Malaysia, Penang) do Rio de Janeiro) The diversity and distribution of Environmental factors influencing microsnails in Langkwai Islands, Kedah, patterns of land snail diversity and Malaysia elevational distribution in a protected forest on Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro Reports from all four students are state, southeastern Brazil. presented below. Congratulations and the best of success to them — we look forward to receiving ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE DIGESTIVE the reports on their activities and GLAND OF THE MARINE GASTROPOD progress in a year’s time. ADELOMELON BECKII (BRODERIP 1836) The hepatopancreas of molluscs is a large digestive gland formed by a mass of blind ending tubules that are connected to the stomach by a system of branched ducts. This organ is involved in several functions as intracellular and extracellular digestion of food material, absorption of nutrients, storage of minerals, lipids and glycogen and plays an important role in detoxification.