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<title> RSS Snail&#x27;s Feed</title><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/index.html</link><description>Slimy News&#x21;</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2006-2009 Bram</dc:rights><dc:date>2013-02-22T21:28:15+01:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:40:29 +0200</lastBuildDate><item><title>A new home for my blog</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2013-02-22T21:28:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c9dc42e7a2dbc3951318a2b2118e1b70-542.html#unique-entry-id-542</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c9dc42e7a2dbc3951318a2b2118e1b70-542.html#unique-entry-id-542</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As from today, my blog is now housed at breure.wordpress.com
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Moving this blog</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-19T13:50:04+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ddf3776723f7624bb04a26ebb0f884a6-541.html#unique-entry-id-541</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ddf3776723f7624bb04a26ebb0f884a6-541.html#unique-entry-id-541</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After some experimenting during the last days, I have decided to move my blog to a new place.


It doesn&rsquo;t mean that this site will be abandoned, however, as I will continue to update the research topics and my publications here.


If you like to be informed about the progress - steadily but slowly - follow the link below.   Please let me know your feedback about this change. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New paper</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-16T11:52:47+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7268ce00c8101ccb8e4a20d2eb2f0c67-540.html#unique-entry-id-540</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7268ce00c8101ccb8e4a20d2eb2f0c67-540.html#unique-entry-id-540</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today a new paper was published in Zoologische Mededelingen about well-known and little-known landsnails in Peru.   A link will be added once the PDF is available.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Steadily but not so slowly</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-15T11:44:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/71cf4d55acf4409e601b2e0d8be7d770-539.html#unique-entry-id-539</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/71cf4d55acf4409e601b2e0d8be7d770-539.html#unique-entry-id-539</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Alex Popovkin sent me a link to a video he made of the Simpulopsis specimen earlier reported on.


Creeping steadily, but not so slowly...   If all snails behave like this I should emend the motto of my site.   But I need further evidence to believe it.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Preparing a student</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-14T20:57:28+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8cf109d0c34b347628b88a4e8318ec2f-538.html#unique-entry-id-538</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8cf109d0c34b347628b88a4e8318ec2f-538.html#unique-entry-id-538</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week a student keeps me busy, who is preparing her field work in Peru for the next six months.   She will collect ecological data in two areas - for one of them see here and here - where carinated species and species with uncoiling shells occur.


With the collected data, we hope to get more insight in the hypothesis that in these areas there might be &lsquo;ecological stress&rsquo; as (one of the) factors that lead to these peculiar shell shapes.   Also interesting that &lsquo;ecological stress&rsquo; has been mentioned as a factor for uncoiling shells in freshwater Gastropods in a newly published paper  (link).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Manna from heaven?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-12T07:37:29+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6f1d9cbab567e3e35f6935e4234d7e81-537.html#unique-entry-id-537</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6f1d9cbab567e3e35f6935e4234d7e81-537.html#unique-entry-id-537</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As this is at the border of Ecuador, and no records for Lissachatina are known for northern localities at the eastern side of the Andes in Colombia, it seems probable that these snails have been &ldquo;imported&rdquo; from Ecuador. 


To the poor inhibatants of this area, the sudden appearance of these snails is perhaps perceived like manna from heaven. 

...Little they know of the damage that is in store for them in their fields. 

...And although the authorities have been informed, this area is way out of their attention. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (108): Simpulopsis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-11T20:14:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e9469e5eb52816f16f58a54c64b769ef-536.html#unique-entry-id-536</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e9469e5eb52816f16f58a54c64b769ef-536.html#unique-entry-id-536</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Nearly as green as green can be...   This picture is one of a series that Alex Popovkin made in the Atlantic Forest near Bahia. 

...A perfect example of mimicry, where snails nearly completely dissolve in the background for the untrained eye.   Not for Alex, whose blog on the flora and fauna of the region may be found here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (25): Annulariidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-08T15:21:37+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7027164027d7aa46b49add329427ced5-535.html#unique-entry-id-535</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7027164027d7aa46b49add329427ced5-535.html#unique-entry-id-535</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the last number of Visaya - a journal nearly exclusively devoted to marine shells - a paper was published describing new taxa from the Dominican Republic.


...Abbottella (Abbottella) aenea n.sp., type locality Dominican Republic, Prov. 

...Leiabbottella galaxius n.sp., type locality Dominican Republic, Prov. 

...New taxa of Annulariidae from Dominican Republic (Gastropoda: Littorinoidea). - Visaya 3: 16-20.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New literature</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-07T14:58:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cbf5fcd67020a1f6432dbdcb4e57e1e2-534.html#unique-entry-id-534</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cbf5fcd67020a1f6432dbdcb4e57e1e2-534.html#unique-entry-id-534</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Until now this species had been recorded in Demerara (Guiana), Zanderij and Belwaarde (Suriname), Guiana Francesa, Peru, Limoncocha (Equador), Amazonas, Para, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais (Brazil), as well as on the islands of Guadalupe and Trinidade.


...Furthermore, we attempted to analyze the glycogen and galactogen contents of the albumen gland, digestive gland and cephalopedal mass in order to understand energy allocation to life history traits, for three life stages.   Leptinaria unilamellata 's life history is characterized by great longevity, a short juvenile phase, early sexual maturity, and repeated reproductive events, with little reproductive effort at each event and some mortality shortly after the first reproduction. ...  The higher quantity of galactogen found in the adults' albumen gland, as compared to juveniles and senescent individuals, as well as the ratio of glycogen to galactogen, reveal the allocation of energy to reproduction rather than to growth. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (24): Spixia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-06T16:20:26+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ec07199672c6b1ef64facdd8df0a3009-533.html#unique-entry-id-533</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ec07199672c6b1ef64facdd8df0a3009-533.html#unique-entry-id-533</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Back in Leiden, one of the first things I did is to check the new journal arrivals in the library.   As long as journals appear on paper, it is a great joy to physically browse through them and to find interesting publications.


One of them is a paper on a new species of Spixia, S. cuezzae, by Eugenia Salas Oro&ntilde;o. 

...The new species is described in the context of a revision of the genus, for which Eugenia has been doing much work during the past years. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tree of life&#x2c; a philosophical debate</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-04T12:50:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d3f453178303366b015d6735f16ef885-532.html#unique-entry-id-532</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d3f453178303366b015d6735f16ef885-532.html#unique-entry-id-532</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In &lsquo;Questioning the Tree of Life&rsquo;, it seems beneficial to draw at least four conceptual distinctions: pattern reconstruction versus process explanation as different epistemological approaches to the study of phylogeny; open versus closed systems as expressions of different kinds of population (species) structures; phylogenetic trees versus cladograms as representations of evolutionary processes versus patterns of relationships; and genes versus species as expressions of different levels of causal integration and evolutionary transformation.


...However, the obvious extensions of popular tree-based methods such as maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood face a serious problem&mdash;if we judge networks by fit to data alone, networks that have lateral branches will always fit the data at least as well as any network that restricts itself to vertical branches. ...  This leads to the conclusion that we should not always infer LGT events whenever it would improve our fit-to-data, but should do so only when the improved fit is larger than the penalty for adding extra lateral branches.


...We advocate the development of integrative phylogenomics for analyzing these genomes and their histories, with tools suited to analyzing the importance of lateral gene transfer (LGT) and of DNA evolution in extra-cellular mobile genetic elements (e.g., viruses, plasmids). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (10)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-10-01T19:45:02+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0f7eb2501dc4c443cbf493c9f9815d64-531.html#unique-entry-id-531</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0f7eb2501dc4c443cbf493c9f9815d64-531.html#unique-entry-id-531</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Wrapping up after four very intense weeks, I find in my data sheet 646 Orthalicoid taxa of which I inspected the type lots.   Seventeen of these are still in the &lsquo;problem box&rsquo;, either because I couldn&rsquo;t find them or I haven&rsquo;t yet reached definitive conclusions.   That makes 629, plus 5 taxa of which the status is either &ldquo;non-Orthalicid&rdquo; or &ldquo;possibly Orthalicid&rdquo;. 

...Several I have met for the first time and some contacts may be fruitful in the future.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (9)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-29T20:26:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4938404ddf5143306f4380903fc34a94-530.html#unique-entry-id-530</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4938404ddf5143306f4380903fc34a94-530.html#unique-entry-id-530</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Working with types make you sometimes think hard whether specimens need to be considered types or not. ...  See the example on the left side below, where some specimens have been made &ldquo;paratypes&rdquo; for a taxon published in 1900, while the expedition on which they where collected was held in 1905-06. 

...It may be that I&rsquo;ll have to discount a few, but my datasheet now counts up to 627.   I&rsquo;m a little bit amazed myself, however, the hard work still comes. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (8)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-25T15:34:22+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bcf646717a73a04d6c16175f8ca1827d-529.html#unique-entry-id-529</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bcf646717a73a04d6c16175f8ca1827d-529.html#unique-entry-id-529</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some are very characteristic, some are awfully similar, or sometimes one may have a hard time to figure out who it actually wrote.


...The authenticity of the handwriting of the latter was confirmed to me by Jennifer Gallichan (Cardiff museum), who has extensively published about the Ancey types. 


...In London I found that most of his original labels, written on very sturdy paper, had either been cut or torn into two pieces. 

...Only shells and, if they are lucky, they might dig up some databases from the digital dust and might find, if they are even more lucky, hidden under one of the menu items of the programme the name of the person who initiated the database. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (7)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-22T18:44:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d991ea9e04c503bcb21ba8088e84abe6-528.html#unique-entry-id-528</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d991ea9e04c503bcb21ba8088e84abe6-528.html#unique-entry-id-528</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With three lots from three different localities, it was easy to match them to the varieties as d&rsquo;Orbigny was very explicit which variety he found where.


The upper and lower lots are var. major, the middle lot is var. minor.   With the original measurements as published in the &ldquo;Voyage...&rdquo;, it was a matter of measuring the shells to find the one that most closely matched.


The result were two lectotypes and several paralectotypes, which are a basis for future taxonomic work, e.g. by Eugenia Salas and Gabriela Cuezzo who are currently working on this group.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (6)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-21T20:05:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5a909a19fd228457f129d70062eaf6c8-527.html#unique-entry-id-527</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5a909a19fd228457f129d70062eaf6c8-527.html#unique-entry-id-527</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In fact, as his collection is both in the London and Paris museum, I&rsquo;m unable to solve the puzzle of this particular species at the moment, without the material in Paris at hand. 


As a rule I selected lectotypes for all the taxa, to ensure stability of nomenclature and to enable future workers to make any synonymies if necessary.   In some cases I had to reconsider a previous lectotype designation from material in Paris (Breure, 1975), as the figured specimen proved to be present in London. 

...Although most of the nuts have been cracked, a touch one remains for tomorrow; it&rsquo;s the puzzle of Pupa spixii and its varieties major and minor.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (5)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-17T19:43:30+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/54db372d4418cbec9fbda63f1531b328-526.html#unique-entry-id-526</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/54db372d4418cbec9fbda63f1531b328-526.html#unique-entry-id-526</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Cuming collection has inspired some well-known conchologists to work on specimens which had been collected by Hugh Cuming and his collectors. ...  His descriptions of both the species and the localities where he found them, are detailed and accurate enough that is has been possible to pinpoint many of them (see Breure, 1973).   Moreover, his collection is a good example of the important biodiversity that was still extant at that time in South America, as several species have not been recorded afterwards.


...Note that in the early 19th century, shells were often pictured with the aperture at the top, contrary to what has been accustomed in later times.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (4)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-14T20:26:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e77bab7301e8207fcc5e46257ab9c30e-525.html#unique-entry-id-525</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e77bab7301e8207fcc5e46257ab9c30e-525.html#unique-entry-id-525</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That may be true for a single shell, a single lot, but also for a whole collection.


While I have been working for a week at my temporary work desk, I was sitting with my back to the historical collection of Alcide d&rsquo;Orbigny, which contains most of the material mentioned in his &lsquo;Voyage dans l&rsquo;Am&eacute;rique du Sud...&rsquo;. ...  Luckily still in time to screen it for the types of species described by him.


...I&rsquo;m marking all available specimens in my catalogues and will look for them when I have finished with screening the Type collection for Orthalicoidea. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (3)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-09T22:15:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/409de57be3f9a9b21eb605ccd0830bf5-524.html#unique-entry-id-524</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/409de57be3f9a9b21eb605ccd0830bf5-524.html#unique-entry-id-524</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The British Museum hasn&rsquo;t had this policy and I found several types that have been sent on loan to some colleagues over the past decades.   Most of the times this went all right, but today I found a horrible example.


There was a label added &ldquo;Returned on loan from [name] and damaged in the mail [date]&rdquo;, together with a copy of the original loan form on which [name] declared to be responsible for returning the specimens carefully packaged. 

...The original lot consisted of two specimens and my first thought was to see if the paralectotype could replace the lost lectotype. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-07T21:01:37+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6ba1bb33bce47468e0ebddea47a5692a-523.html#unique-entry-id-523</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6ba1bb33bce47468e0ebddea47a5692a-523.html#unique-entry-id-523</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My temporary work-desk is in the collection room, climbing each day the stairs to the mezzanine where the type collection is housed.


My &ldquo;lucky find&rdquo; for this day was this label of Bulimus iris Pfeiffer, showing that requests for taxon names as eponyms are of all times...


However, this time Pfeiffer didn&rsquo;t honour the request but made his own choice. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in NHM collection</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-06T09:27:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a395c5a6a463058f64795347173edf5-522.html#unique-entry-id-522</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a395c5a6a463058f64795347173edf5-522.html#unique-entry-id-522</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The building is very much like the old Naturalis building, although much bigger. 

...In such a large institution (over 900 people, of which more than 250 scientists), visitors has to recognizable.   As I will stay for a while, I went to the Security Office to get a pass made. 

...My inventory of types tallied up to 411 before I came, but already discovered some more today. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Preparing for London</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-09-03T15:16:59+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1e6728bfd766c0627c935df619a45c31-521.html#unique-entry-id-521</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1e6728bfd766c0627c935df619a45c31-521.html#unique-entry-id-521</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[From next week on, I will be for 4 weeks in London on a Synthesys grant.   This will allow me to study the types of Orthalicoidea in the collection of the Natural History Museum.


Hope to keep you informed while I&rsquo;m there.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Playing the DNA game (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-31T22:25:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d8242cbc89c06418c11df5b070df157a-520.html#unique-entry-id-520</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d8242cbc89c06418c11df5b070df157a-520.html#unique-entry-id-520</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Having analyzed so far only ITS/28S data, I&rsquo;m now trying to combine different partitions from both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. ...  For recent reviews of general methodologies, see Blair & Murphy (2010) and Pausas & Verd&uacute; (2010).


...Recent trends in molecular phylogenetic analysis: where to next? - Journal of Heridity (in press; doi:10.1093/jhered/esq092).


...The jungle of methods for evaluating phenotypic and phylogenetic structure of communities. - BioScience 60: 614-625.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Playing the DNA game</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-30T21:02:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2683d89c4665f0136114a6faeff29fdd-519.html#unique-entry-id-519</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2683d89c4665f0136114a6faeff29fdd-519.html#unique-entry-id-519</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This weekend I have been busy playing the DNA game.   Just imagine the good old Tetris game, where coloured blocks have to be sorted.   Aligning DNA fragments looks very much the same, only you have to move them horizontally instead of vertically.


This screenshot is part of a file in which I manually tried to align three different parts of DNA (CO1, histone 3 and ITS2/28S). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biodiversity informatics</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-26T10:23:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f8123c37b3307916a8c97e08f42130bc-518.html#unique-entry-id-518</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f8123c37b3307916a8c97e08f42130bc-518.html#unique-entry-id-518</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to these authors, &ldquo;biodiversity science in general can and should evolve from a purely descriptive cataloguing endeavour into a predictive, scientific exploration of space, time and form&rdquo;. 

...This topic is part of global change biology and seems to be very important when we try to anticipate biotic responses to future environmental change and biodiversity loss. 

...The shifts in novel species assemblages due to changing climates and the introduction of alien species may need further developments in niche modelling, leading to environmental change scenarios and future distribution predictions.


...Linking rich biodiversity data sets on phenotypes and genotypes of individuals, populations and species could be integrated over space and visualized in various dimensions. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (107): Deroceras</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-24T22:08:33+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/537a2f6e20f4513b3c309e694d920f30-517.html#unique-entry-id-517</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/537a2f6e20f4513b3c309e694d920f30-517.html#unique-entry-id-517</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some pictures of an as yet unidentified slug, probably Deroceras sp.   According to my colleague Ton de Winter, it is possibly only a form of Deroceras laeve (M&uuml;ller, 1774).   Only dissection and comparison with well-identified material could reveal their true identity.


The specimens were spotted in Ecuador, Prov. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (106): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-23T09:11:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/08697b6ae7cfb1999d15c8a956efa90f-516.html#unique-entry-id-516</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/08697b6ae7cfb1999d15c8a956efa90f-516.html#unique-entry-id-516</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And snails get interest too on these sites, apart from the &lsquo;usual suspects, like mammals, birds, herps and plants.


This weekend I discovered the site of the Bigal River Conservation Project in northeastern Ecuador.   This area (only 10 km2) is located near the vulcano Sumaco, on the border of Prov. 

...The snail pictured here is not fully-grown, but undoubtedly a Plekocheilus. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Confusing types</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-19T22:01:36+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51cff246998832f0bdc5c663311331b5-515.html#unique-entry-id-515</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51cff246998832f0bdc5c663311331b5-515.html#unique-entry-id-515</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During a recent revision of Plekocheilus species from both countries, Francisco Borrero and I were pretty sure that we recognized both taxa. 

...I checked the original ledger as well and at the time this lot was donated by Pilsbry, he also donated two other lots from Ecuador and one from Colombia.&nbsp;   The one from Colombia was a different species and had no other specific data, maybe Clench and Turner got confused by this one.&nbsp;   With the lot, there is also an original handwritten slip of paper with specific locality info on it stating it is from Ecuador&rdquo;. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Veronicellid phylogeny</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-17T11:39:01+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c49080b0bf420437ca303399e2ec1045-514.html#unique-entry-id-514</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c49080b0bf420437ca303399e2ec1045-514.html#unique-entry-id-514</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In South America 16 genera are known to occur, and many species are recorded as agricultural pests or intermediate hosts for nematodes, causing public health risks.


...The results showed that the different species of Phyllocaulis are in mutually exclusive and well-supported clades.   Interestingly, a study of the divergent times showed that the vicariant species P. gayi (Chile) and P. soleiformis (Argentina) had their common ancestor during Pleistocene times (~ 0.6 Ma).   Since this timing is after the final upheaval of the Andes, the distribution is explained by cross-Andean dispersal and subsequent speciation.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Having one&#x27;s own stamp</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-16T10:48:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ab3fc5d60b8ccba74c162b7855f6f6af-513.html#unique-entry-id-513</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ab3fc5d60b8ccba74c162b7855f6f6af-513.html#unique-entry-id-513</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some postal companies make it quite easy to have one&rsquo;s own stamp.   Just upload a preferred picture to their site and they will send your personalized stamps.   Cuba, for sure, is a country where this innovation has not been introduced yet.   Therefore it must have been a great pleasure for Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez, to see one of his photographs being used on a new stamp of the Cuban postal service.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Preparing for dissection</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-10T05:23:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/95a0cc3ebfbcc4f94d14894073c42398-512.html#unique-entry-id-512</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/95a0cc3ebfbcc4f94d14894073c42398-512.html#unique-entry-id-512</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Yesterday, we spent a large part of the day at the (Cincinnati) Museum to sort out material that Francisco had brought during his recent trip to Colombia. ...  These animals are difficult to remove from their shells, not only due to the constrictions in their aperture, but mainly due to their body rapidly becoming very stiff; even after preservation of only a few weeks in ethanol. 


...As you don&rsquo;t want to mess up a single specimen of a potentially new species, it was decided to first practice on a specimen with poor data. 

...After some careful thought on where to begin and where to go, the lab was soon filled with noises that usually can be heard at the dentist. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Visit to the Field</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-07T04:07:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/499c23b7533ec82c7f47738c29da6c97-511.html#unique-entry-id-511</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/499c23b7533ec82c7f47738c29da6c97-511.html#unique-entry-id-511</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We finished our manuscript on Dryptus and Plekocheilus, and decided to deliver it in person to the editor of our chosen journal (Zootaxa), Jochen Gerber.   He is Collections manager at the Field Museum in Chicago, which is not horribly far from Cincinnati. 

...The drive back to Cincinnati made it a very long and exhausting day, also because we hadn&rsquo;t calculated the time difference between the two states (Chicago is one hour earlier than Cincinnati).   All together it took 24 hours, but in the end we were happy with what we accomplished to do. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The coloratus saga</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-08-02T19:01:13+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/556d9941e86728c4fdc8e7a767ea038d-510.html#unique-entry-id-510</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/556d9941e86728c4fdc8e7a767ea038d-510.html#unique-entry-id-510</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although there is no type material known, it is as such fairly easily identifiable but we found it in museum collections quite mixed up with other taxa as well.


We&rsquo;re not decided yet if we are going to solve this messy complex right now, but at least found five different morphotypes.


...All this actually shows is that morphs 4 and 5 are at different elevations but all others overlap. 


We may not be able to solve this puzzle at this very moment (and with shells only), but for now the coloratus saga continues...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Some progress</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-28T22:12:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c95fbe710a0770a6cfdc6fb859236be-509.html#unique-entry-id-509</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c95fbe710a0770a6cfdc6fb859236be-509.html#unique-entry-id-509</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During the last few days we did some hard work to double-check all localities and georeference them. ...  The result may be shown here, made with SimpleMappr.


The program (or rather the site) allows also for saving the data as KML file for visualizing in Google Earth.


Continuing with this work for the different species.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Temporarily moved</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-27T13:58:09+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e6e2c0b59001dfb1f352255426ff87bc-508.html#unique-entry-id-508</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e6e2c0b59001dfb1f352255426ff87bc-508.html#unique-entry-id-508</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This weekend I flew to Concinnati, Ohia in the USA to meet with Francisco Borrero.   We will work jointly on our the preparation of some manuscripts, along with some other things.


My temporary workdesk has been set up in Francisco&rsquo;s house.   But we already visited the Cincinnati Museum Center once, to put samples on alcohol that he recently collected in Colombia.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (23): Clausiliidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-23T11:54:40+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5844dbf808ff0effd576a5e7217607e8-507.html#unique-entry-id-507</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5844dbf808ff0effd576a5e7217607e8-507.html#unique-entry-id-507</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the latest issue of Archiv f&uuml;r Molluskenkunde, Hartmut Nordsieck has a peper describing new species of Neniinae from Peru.   The material was collected by Jens and Crista Hemmen, who made several trips in that country during the past years. 

...[14], Pasco, 28 km Huancabamba-Pozuzo (HT SMF 330163) and P. p. lamellicosta n.subsp. 

...New taxa of the subfamilies Neniinae and Garnieriinae (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Clausiliidae). - Archiv f&uuml;r Molluskenkunde 139: 45-69.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mites and snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-21T20:54:41+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/78cf552a327a32fab3ac76afb85fc132-506.html#unique-entry-id-506</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/78cf552a327a32fab3ac76afb85fc132-506.html#unique-entry-id-506</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In their review of this group, Wharton & Fuller (1952) only cite one species from Cuba, Trombicula (Eutrombicula) alfreddug&egrave;si (Oudemans, 1910). ...  At the time of their writing, the hosts on which it was known to occur listed mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibia.   There may be a record of snails as host in more recent literature; if not, it is a new record now.


...The biology, classification, distribution and importance to man of the larvae of the family Trombiculidae (Acarina). - Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 4: 1-185.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Deroceras in Argentina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-20T19:45:43+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d83c6f213a80ef85c7bd4604b2346a91-505.html#unique-entry-id-505</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d83c6f213a80ef85c7bd4604b2346a91-505.html#unique-entry-id-505</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In a paper that appeared some months ago, Mart&iacute;n et al. (2009) give an overview of the distribution of Deroceras reticulatum (M&uuml;ller, 1774) as alien species in Argentina. 

...During a recent visit to Bariloche for the Southern Connection congress, I found the species also south of the lake, near Cerro Otto (41 08&rsquo;S 71 23&rsquo;W). 

...Has the ubiquitous occurrence in this region any link to the frequency of visitors from Europe to this well-known touristic region?


...Distribution of Deroceras reticulatum (M&uuml;ller, 1774) (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora) in Argentina with first record of the Reserva de Usos M&uacute;ltiples Isla Martin Garcia, Rio de la Plata superior. - Brazilian Journal of Biology 69: 1115-1119.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (105): Proserpina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-22T22:31:37+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ece114c8cb619e4b4780fb2038591b7-504.html#unique-entry-id-504</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ece114c8cb619e4b4780fb2038591b7-504.html#unique-entry-id-504</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Earlier I posted some pictures here, but this time Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez sent me additional photos from Proserpina depressa.   These were taken in Pinar del Rio province, near Punta de la Sierra and La G&uuml;ira.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (104): Oleacina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-19T17:52:44+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/224d7373c402e1b6c8b6283f0c0f9234-503.html#unique-entry-id-503</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/224d7373c402e1b6c8b6283f0c0f9234-503.html#unique-entry-id-503</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today some pictures made by Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez in Prov.   Pinar del Rio, near Guane, showing Oleacina cf. straminea (Deshayes, 1819).


He also found two specimens that were mating.


Maybe a bit voyeuristic, but still interesting to see how these snails do &ldquo;it&rdquo;, as data on sexual bahaviour of snails &ldquo;in the wild&rdquo; are largely unknown.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New phylogenetic insights</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-16T08:19:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/52fd566441a5c1200d23365b669c82f8-502.html#unique-entry-id-502</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/52fd566441a5c1200d23365b669c82f8-502.html#unique-entry-id-502</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Special thanks to Annet Breure, Giovanni Cuno, Andr&eacute; Delsaerdt, Jens Hemmen, Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n, Grace Montalv&aacute;n, David Robinson, Constante Schizzi, Jan Schl&ouml;gl and Corey Whisson, for sending me specimens that allowed DNA studies.


As I was especially interested in the phylogenetic relationships at the deeper levels within the group, the most suitable marker was used, viz. 

...Although most genera (Bulimulus, Drymaeus, Bostryx, Naesiotus) group together, it is remarkable that Plekocheilus shows up very basally in the tree and needs to be considered an amphibulimid.


...New insights in the phylogenetic relations within the Orthalicoidea (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora) based on 28S sequence data. - Basteria 74: 25-31.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Unusual carination</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-15T21:59:02+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2fc3fa9579d3ebbcafd132ba34194bec-501.html#unique-entry-id-501</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2fc3fa9579d3ebbcafd132ba34194bec-501.html#unique-entry-id-501</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A while ago, when I saw Ulf Drechsel&rsquo;s site on the biodiversity of Paraguay, I was immediately struck by this picture of an unusually carinated snail.


As Ulf said it was - in his opinion - not an aberrant form, I became interested in having the specimen at hand, to see what this specimen could be. 

...When I inspected the animal in more detail, it became obvious that the scalarid form was caused by an accident during the juvenile stage of the animal. 

...Finally, the PYBIO site contains an additional picture of, what I think is, the usual form of this species.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Enjoying a caterpillar</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-14T21:23:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c3e2e5052d2008f0b95bc1922341ae53-500.html#unique-entry-id-500</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c3e2e5052d2008f0b95bc1922341ae53-500.html#unique-entry-id-500</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During a recent trip to Cuba, Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez made quite a few interesting observations.   Today I share his photographs of a Zachrysia guanensis meeting a dead caterpillar. 


...And although they are supposed to be herbivores, sometimes they may be (temporarily?) ...  According to Adri&aacute;n &ldquo;this Zachrysia was really enjoying the caterpillar&rdquo;.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A (temporary?) constriction</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-13T07:15:47+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3f2fb5cfe03810338058141df70c7586-499.html#unique-entry-id-499</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3f2fb5cfe03810338058141df70c7586-499.html#unique-entry-id-499</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I will have to put stringent priorities on the things I can do, papers I want to be finished, projects that have to be postponed and projects abruptly to be abandoned.


...No longer a daily post, but trying to do it as often as possible and hopefully enough to get you maintaining your interest in this blog. 


...At this moment I see it as a restriction, like a gorge in the flow of a river.   Hopefully this will be a temporary situation, although I &lsquo;m unsure how long it will last. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (103): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-07T21:40:59+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7b50b25a0fbdf63c28eb89911ddc4131-497.html#unique-entry-id-497</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7b50b25a0fbdf63c28eb89911ddc4131-497.html#unique-entry-id-497</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ever seen a snail attempting to make a somersault?


These are pictures of Drymaeus (D.) murrinus (Reeve, 1848), made by Alan Pierre Infante.   The specimens were found near Bogot&aacute;.


Even if the colour of the animal seems of little diagnotstic value, it is nice to see them pictured alive.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bulimulus again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-05T21:58:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3b9c50eaf9c3536249c177f30bdfa477-496.html#unique-entry-id-496</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3b9c50eaf9c3536249c177f30bdfa477-496.html#unique-entry-id-496</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is one type of weed that grows in the roadside swale between the road and the ditch and it was under these patches of weeds that the Bulimulus were hiding. ...  It was kind of interesting as a small plant would have one live Bulimulus and a large plant would have 4-5. ...  I collected plenty (both live and empty shells) and could have collected a whole lot more if I had wanted them. 

...When you look closely to the snails that Bill found, you will notice that some have the striped pattern, but others not. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>On intra-specific variation</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-02T17:52:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/89de9c9f59549d7c2f3bbf3e8e37aab5-495.html#unique-entry-id-495</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/89de9c9f59549d7c2f3bbf3e8e37aab5-495.html#unique-entry-id-495</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He noted difference with specimens collected inside the city (Duval County), especially in the striping of the animals.


...They have a section on Comparative morphological observations, in which they noted that &ldquo;due to intra-specific variability, head-foot colour seems to be of limited value for species discremination [...]. 

...Although in this case the difference is caused by a pattern in the mantle tissue, my hypothesis is that this is merely due to intra-specific variation. 

...Revision of the larger cannibal snails (Natalina s.l.) of southern Africa -- Natalina s.s., Afrorhytida and Capitina (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Rhytididae). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Placostylidae of the Solomons</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-01T16:19:30+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/626f09f1d8d56e9ef36138b3b72aa842-494.html#unique-entry-id-494</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/626f09f1d8d56e9ef36138b3b72aa842-494.html#unique-entry-id-494</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After careful study of literature and a vast amount of shells, Delsaerdt concludes that there are four genera present on the Salomon Islands: Aspastus Albers, 1850; Eumecostylus Martens, 1860; Placocharis Pilsbry, 1900 and Santacharis Iredale, 1927.   A total of 33 taxa are listed, of which two new ones (Eumecostylus gardneri and E. vicinus backhuysi) and one new name (Placocharis palmarum galvini).


As may been seen by these two figures, Placostylids are beautiful snails and there are two pages full of these figures in the book.   For each taxon, the following items are given, full of useful notes: type material, type locality, etymology, material examined, characteristics, discussion and distribution. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another find of Lissachatina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-30T18:52:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/12450b75d271f55a701746d72fb043b4-493.html#unique-entry-id-493</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/12450b75d271f55a701746d72fb043b4-493.html#unique-entry-id-493</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today a new record of Lissachatina fulica was reported by Herman Cremers, a colleague, who spotted this species during his holidays in Ecuador. 


...Napo, Tena, Lodge &ldquo;Casa del Suizo&rdquo; along the Napo river.   As it was found in the newly decorated garden, it may have been transported with horticultural material. 

...As far as I know, this is the first record of this species on the eastern side of the Andes in Ecuador.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Florida Bulimulus again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-29T19:01:34+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9164818f076884a673214986e2f8dbd9-492.html#unique-entry-id-492</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9164818f076884a673214986e2f8dbd9-492.html#unique-entry-id-492</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A few days ago, the mysterious Bulimulus species from Jacksonville was found northeast of the city. ...  As I doubt if any crow (or whatever Floridan bird) may have carried the eggs of this species, it remains mysterious how this population got there.   Was is transported by trucks visiting the Duval Container Co. station?   Has it been there for more years, unnoticed to local snail hunters?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Paraguayan biodiversity</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-24T13:39:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4400fab9cbbc5c42fe95f2fe31cb0137-491.html#unique-entry-id-491</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4400fab9cbbc5c42fe95f2fe31cb0137-491.html#unique-entry-id-491</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ulf Drechsel kindly pointed me to the website on biodiversity of Paraguay, which is a welcome source of information. 

...I posted earlier another picture of this snail, but this one is from a different angle and provides more detail. 

...Hopefully this site will grow as a useful information source, e.g. for conservation purposes.


...Catalogo preliminar de la malacofauna del Paraguay. -Revista de Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, n.s, Zoolog&iacute;a 11: 61-158.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (102): Neopetraeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-23T20:27:23+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2d7d3e107d28706784daae5b9ec1c09e-490.html#unique-entry-id-490</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2d7d3e107d28706784daae5b9ec1c09e-490.html#unique-entry-id-490</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A genus hitherto not represented in this series: Neopetraeus Martens, 1885.   This Peruvian group has a distinct protoconch and is restricted to the northern part of the country in Andean regions at elevations from 800 to more than 3000 m.


The species pictured here is N. tessellatus (Shuttleworth, 1852).   The specimens were collected by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n in the Huar&aacute;z region.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (8): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-22T14:15:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a72b60a0dff1290613ddd0b915e9971a-489.html#unique-entry-id-489</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a72b60a0dff1290613ddd0b915e9971a-489.html#unique-entry-id-489</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To continue this series, this time a species from Colombia, Cundinamarca, near Mosquera (RMNH): Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) delicatus (Pilsbry, 1935).   The radula formula is C + L/1 + M/70.


Shown clockwise, from upper left: overview of part of radula, central part, marginals 5-9 resp.   48-63.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bostryx from Chile</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-28T13:29:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9d6642bdbd28bdbc399b68c9a48878f4-488.html#unique-entry-id-488</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9d6642bdbd28bdbc399b68c9a48878f4-488.html#unique-entry-id-488</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Firstly, many Chilean Bostryx species are poorly known (see also here) and every accurate record is greatly welcomed. 

...Rehder (1945) already stated that this species &ldquo;has a short but strong columellar lamella within the last whorl&rdquo;. 

...The Chilean species of the molluscan genus Peronaeus (Bulimulidae) - Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 48: 102-107.


...Meanwhile I ascertained that these specimens are B. leucostictus (Philippi, 1856), a closely related species described from Paposo.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Colombian p&#xe1;ramos</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-21T19:49:55+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8bfb555c0a9b08460f32d042121ba0ea-487.html#unique-entry-id-487</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8bfb555c0a9b08460f32d042121ba0ea-487.html#unique-entry-id-487</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the Andes they range from the puno in Bolivia and Peru to the p&aacute;ramo in Ecuador and Colombia.


I like those high altitude habitats, as they offer both plenty of natural conditions (relatively unspoiled by human kind) and interesting ecological niches for snails. 

...Although there is now a huge amount of scientific literature on p&aacute;ramos - thanks to the work of Thomas van der Hammen, Antoine Cleef, Henry Hooghiemstra and many Colombian co-workers - the more easy-accessible literature is sparse. ...  It has also very good maps of the different p&aacute;ramo areas, like e.g. here the map of the Tatam&aacute; Natural Park at the border of Choc&oacute;, Valle del Cauca and Riseralda.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Minute landsnail from Argentinan Pampas</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-17T07:51:38+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f076fada952e7158b97697a6f9e07fbd-486.html#unique-entry-id-486</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f076fada952e7158b97697a6f9e07fbd-486.html#unique-entry-id-486</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the continuous stream of taxonomic revisions and descriptions of new species, e.g. in Zootaxa, it is noteworthy that this journal has introduced a &lsquo;Correspondence&rsquo; section besides the more lengthy &lsquo;Article&rsquo;.   In a recent number, there was such a correspondence about the rediscovery of  a tiny charopid, Zilchogyra franzi Weyrauch, 1965, from the Sierra de la Ventana in eastern Argentina (Delhey et al., 2010).


Zilchogyra franzi  was described from a single specimen, collected amoung ferns in &ldquo;a humid hollow lined with dark soil&rdquo; in the Sierra de la Ventana. ...  And although they were successful in obtaining both living specimens and a number of shells, it is clear from their limited findings that this is a relatively rare species which occurs in low numbers.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (101): Tudora</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-18T10:37:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/79895f24a80374a1c6a438a8163e8f79-485.html#unique-entry-id-485</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/79895f24a80374a1c6a438a8163e8f79-485.html#unique-entry-id-485</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Continuing this series with more West Indian species and pictures by Gerard van Buurt. 

...Barbara, and show Tudora aurantia (Wood, 1828) on a coconut palm.


On Cura&ccedil;ao another Tudora species occurs, T. megacheilos (Potiez & Michaud, 1838).   The pictures were taken in a garden in Willemstad.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Genetic research on Peruvian land snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-15T19:32:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6f347e426f805d30a34db76a90636a19-484.html#unique-entry-id-484</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6f347e426f805d30a34db76a90636a19-484.html#unique-entry-id-484</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I compared genetic patterns in two different species: Bostryx scalariformis (Orthalicidae) from the coast of Peru and Systrophia helicycloides (Scolodontidae) from the western Amazonian basin. 

...El Ni&ntilde;o Southern Oscillation ant the coastal desert could have played a key role in the modeling of the genetic structure in this land snail. ...  The actual genetic structure in S. helicycloides seems to be influenced by historical geoclimatic changes, like the rise of the Andes or Pleistocene refuges that both may have produced lineage differentiation. 

...According to Romero, the populations of Bostryx are influenced by the El Nino cycles and their influence on the expanding and contracting &lsquo;lomas&rsquo; vegetation islands in the coastal desert. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Shell collectors as &#x27;endangered species&#x27;?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-07-07T13:10:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dcf40bb61ef5f9069a17f844744749d6-482.html#unique-entry-id-482</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dcf40bb61ef5f9069a17f844744749d6-482.html#unique-entry-id-482</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[CITES regulations, or - more precisely - the poor practice by non-expert bureaucrats of intentionally good rules, should not be felt as a hindrance.


...However, he split the lot and sent half of the material to person C (on an entirely different continent) for his &ldquo;private pet programme&rdquo;.   Although snails are perfect as pets as long as they are native, this clearly is a case which violates the expressed intentions of this group.   First because there are examples of alien snails kept as pet animals which are potentially a threat for the native fauna (to put it mildly). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New records for Lissachatina in South America</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-08T08:05:23+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0c8def29f5808a47da5dd2376756907-481.html#unique-entry-id-481</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0c8def29f5808a47da5dd2376756907-481.html#unique-entry-id-481</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Since my last post on a new record for Lissachatina fulica in South America, less than two months have passed.   This time, two new records have to be mentioned, which may not be totally unrelated but at least involve two new countries.   They have to be added on the list of affected ones that unfortunately grows and grows...


...It is not more than a wild guess, but this river might have acted as a route of dispersal in this case.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (100): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-16T21:40:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/afd1826a75d4bb106bb63db65bff6007-480.html#unique-entry-id-480</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/afd1826a75d4bb106bb63db65bff6007-480.html#unique-entry-id-480</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This blogpost, the 100th in the series on living snails and snails in their natural habitat, I like to devote to another well-known West Indian species. 

...According to Richardson (1995) the correct name should be D. radiatus (Brugui&egrave;re, 1789), as both R&ouml;ding and Brugui&egrave;re based their name on the same Pl. 134 fig. 1225a of Chemnitz (Martini & Chemnitz, 1786).   However, from Brugui&egrave;re&rsquo;s text (Brugui&egrave;re, 1789: 312) it clearly follows that his Bulimus radiatus is an European shell from &ldquo;la province du Dauphin&eacute; aux environs de Montbrun, de Gap & de Montelimar&rdquo;. 

...According to Pilsbry (1899: 29) the specimens attributed  to D. multilineatus on Cura&ccedil;ao &ldquo;often lack the subsutural and umbilical markings, and show traces of a peripheral band, but occasionally lack all spiral bands; the apex generally white&rdquo;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (99): Cerion</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-10T21:11:40+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/287849425fc2203e22d2f2f614786900-479.html#unique-entry-id-479</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/287849425fc2203e22d2f2f614786900-479.html#unique-entry-id-479</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A well-known West Indian species, Cerion uva (Linn&eacute;, 1758), was hitherto not represented in this series.   Thanks to Gerard van Buurt I&rsquo;m able to show you a specimen which was photographed on Cura&ccedil;ao, Boca St.   Michiel.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (98): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-09T10:54:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9740d11f7f605811a15db2f75e8cbd84-478.html#unique-entry-id-478</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9740d11f7f605811a15db2f75e8cbd84-478.html#unique-entry-id-478</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last week Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez also sent these pictures.   They show a species which I tentatively identify as Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) tenuissimus Weyrauch, 1967.   The specimen was collected near El Laurel.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (97): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-07T14:04:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7304b2be9a128e33e108fa5c983e98d8-477.html#unique-entry-id-477</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7304b2be9a128e33e108fa5c983e98d8-477.html#unique-entry-id-477</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These pictures were taken by Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez in Ecuador, prov.   Manab&iacute;, between Salango and Manglaralto.   They show Bostryx bilineatus (Sowerby, 1833).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Back and food for thought</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-06T21:50:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/50513b25cb3fccc9aa4f30aaeeda9fa7-476.html#unique-entry-id-476</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/50513b25cb3fccc9aa4f30aaeeda9fa7-476.html#unique-entry-id-476</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m back and in the emails @work I found one that - although it is seemingly off topic - I&rsquo;m sure will give many of you some food for thought.


...It is all about bureaucracy and aren&rsquo;t we all confronted with that to some extend? 

...Not wanting to be over-pessimistic, but just forwarding some thoughts from an unexpected angle... 

...How it will destroy science, medicine, education, and eventually everything else. - Medical Hypotheses 74: [1-5].
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Puzzling with shells and geography</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-06-14T13:45:44+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fdf168cd1a1eaf2b67bebac392deb999-475.html#unique-entry-id-475</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fdf168cd1a1eaf2b67bebac392deb999-475.html#unique-entry-id-475</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The first was Todd & Carriker&rsquo;s 1922 paper on birds of the area; they have a map which shows several Indian villages in the north-eastern part of the Sierra. 

...Since the shell was unlike the few Bolivian Plekocheilus species, but more resembled some forms from Colombia, I decided to ask for additional pictures to the National Museum of Wales.   When I received these photographs, it appeared that the sculpture of the shells was peculiar and similar to that on shells we have from the Tatam&aacute; National Park in the Riseralda/Choc&oacute; area. 

...Now we had two different sources for the type locality of couturesi, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the northern part and the Cordillera Occidental in the western part of Colombia. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A break</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-12T21:06:18+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/14abab33cd521886b33969df1d521626-474.html#unique-entry-id-474</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/14abab33cd521886b33969df1d521626-474.html#unique-entry-id-474</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This blog to be continued early June.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pedro&#x27;s presentation</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-11T19:16:32+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce9b905d8f770d08937cb35ccf657533-473.html#unique-entry-id-473</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce9b905d8f770d08937cb35ccf657533-473.html#unique-entry-id-473</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pedro Romero, guest at Naturalis, gave today a brief presentation to my colleagues.   He told about his previous research, viz. phylogenetics of land snails populations in the coastal desert and Amazonian forest of Peru.


Also he explained what he plans to do during his 3-month stay. 

...To be continued...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>There is a story behind nice papers on tepui snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-11T18:53:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bec6539edddadb254d6261875692331b-472.html#unique-entry-id-472</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bec6539edddadb254d6261875692331b-472.html#unique-entry-id-472</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Online journals</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-12T09:46:16+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2298ce14b4bd972997c246dbef78be9-471.html#unique-entry-id-471</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2298ce14b4bd972997c246dbef78be9-471.html#unique-entry-id-471</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A website where (very irregularly) two journals appear that might be interesting for those interested in Neotropical biology, is the website of the Caribbean Natural History Group.


...This journal started in 1994 and is presented as a Newsletter of the Invertebrate Zoologists of the Antilles. ...  Several malacological papers have appear in the 17 issues to date. 

...In the eight issues that appeared since the start in 2001, no malacological papers have been published.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Geo and GIS tools&#x2c; again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-10T07:07:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eadcd000e69e138aab6f800cd1af21be-470.html#unique-entry-id-470</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eadcd000e69e138aab6f800cd1af21be-470.html#unique-entry-id-470</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Google Maps doesn't have this feature, but you can get nearly the same thing by first clicking on the tiny green lab flask at the top right of the Google Maps window, just to the left of the 'Help' and 'Sign In' links. 

...Geo Utilities has an online tool for producing buffers around points; it's well-described at http://freegeographytools.com/2007/online-google-earth-utilities-for-buffering-and-area-calculations Note that the new KML file for the buffer circles has a fixed 'radius' (it's actually a bunch of points on the diameter). 

...There are of course GIS tools for doing this off the Web, e.g. http://www.spatialecology.com/htools/buffer.php For my own, humble GIS needs I run the venerable ArcView 3.2 (through Wine under Linux, works great).   In AV3.2 I can show different size circles for different error values simply by displaying according to 'Unique Value' in the error field (e.g. 25, 50, 100, etc metres) in my attribute table, then adjusting the symbol size and colour to my liking.&rdquo;
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bibliography of Cuban land snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-06T19:12:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/33bf8a80206fcc5d2bb1b71a9feef0f1-469.html#unique-entry-id-469</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/33bf8a80206fcc5d2bb1b71a9feef0f1-469.html#unique-entry-id-469</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today the Bibliography of Cuban terrestrial Mollusca, including related and biohistorical papers on Cuban malacology appear as Technical Bulletin 12 at NCB Naturalis.


If interested you may order a copy for free.   Within short it will available for download from the Naturalis Repository.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Abnormalities in Cuban snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-06T09:21:24+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2d485928bf40fe6f00a06b07115a5d3-468.html#unique-entry-id-468</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2d485928bf40fe6f00a06b07115a5d3-468.html#unique-entry-id-468</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But Adri&aacute;n also found an albino form that is very common in many populations; this one is also P. m. splendida from Cano Doce, Banes in Holgu&iacute;n province.   Note the spots on the shell typically of P. muscarum and compare them with those on the last shell in this series, which is known as P. sulphurosa flammulata Torre, 1950.


...Finally, within the population of P. m. splendida at Cano Doce, there is a conical shaped form, described as variety subrocheri by Carlos de la Torre in 1950 (foreground left in the next picture). 

...One of the papers is by Fern&aacute;ndez & Berovides (1995), reporting on the different subspecies of P. muscarum in Holgu&iacute;n province. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (96): Pseudogracilinenia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-07T09:00:19+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/01518943be324b33b3477de5437ced64-467.html#unique-entry-id-467</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/01518943be324b33b3477de5437ced64-467.html#unique-entry-id-467</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the same area as in the previous post, at Cuevas de las Lechuzas, Pseudogracilinenia huallagana (Pilsbry, 1949) was collected by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n and Grace Montalv&aacute;n.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (95): Peruinia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-05T08:52:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f1f08a34400b7ebda52d5785b0f90127-466.html#unique-entry-id-466</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f1f08a34400b7ebda52d5785b0f90127-466.html#unique-entry-id-466</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This picture was made by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n during his recent trip to Tingo Mar&iacute;a.   It pictures Peruinia flachi tingomariae (Pilsbry, 1922), found at Microcuenca Las Pavas.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fossil Cerions again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-04T19:52:35+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3087fed3c4eccd83197989265d292cf5-465.html#unique-entry-id-465</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3087fed3c4eccd83197989265d292cf5-465.html#unique-entry-id-465</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The last inter-glacial, marine isotope stage/substage (MIS) 5e (Aminozone E) is characterized by generally large shells and in some cases, bimodal sets of very small (a shells) and very large forms (b shells) coexisting in the same stratigraphic levels (primarily soils), which may encompass the transition from between MIS 5e and 5d/c.   Similar bimodality of nearly identical a and b shell forms and sizes is observed at other late MIS 5e sites from the furthest reaches of Great Bahama Bank (including Long, Exumas, Eleuthera, and New Providence Islands).   The widespread distribution of a and b forms in soils capping MIS 5e marine and eolian deposits implies that there may have been a synchronous, regional morphological convergence on Great Bahama Bank. 

...The potential for frequent and widespread human introductions, combined with the propensity of Cerion to hybridise freely may explain the farrago of shell sizes and shapes in the recent snail faunas of Long Island and other Bahama islands.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A special guest</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-05-03T20:35:10+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6afbcefbe30918241f59797be7cbd83c-464.html#unique-entry-id-464</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6afbcefbe30918241f59797be7cbd83c-464.html#unique-entry-id-464</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pedro is a recently graduated biologist (M.Sc., Universidad San Marcos, Lima, Peru) and will do phylogenetic work on Orthalicidae.


After previous email contact, I met him during my recent field trip in Peru.   Here we are in a lomas near Anc&oacute;n, where we collected snails and a flowering Tillandsia plant for Fernanda Salinas, a Chilean botanist who is studying DNA of populations in the Chilean and Peruvian coastal desert..


The next few months I hope to do much work in cooperation with Pedro. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biodiversity salvaging</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-30T11:13:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a06cbf896e30b629799c34f14206f0d5-462.html#unique-entry-id-462</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a06cbf896e30b629799c34f14206f0d5-462.html#unique-entry-id-462</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Second, although salvagers might disagree on what needs salvaging first (which microbes, plants or animals), there's not much doubt about where to start salvaging. ...  On a local scale, prioritising salvage spots is very simple: go first to those habitats which are about to be destroyed, which are furthest from protected areas and which are furthest from previous biological sampling.


...The aim of biodiversity salvage is not to stop the new farm, housing estate, industrial site or ocean outfall, but simply to recover some of Earth's natural heritage before it disappears.


...It's done in a place which is on the To Be Destroyed list, or on the list of places which are Largely Destroyed And Someone Is Coming Next Week To Finish The Job. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A new record of Lissachatina in Ecuador</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-29T20:33:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/68da1a23fab4743be69031f8358ad834-461.html#unique-entry-id-461</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/68da1a23fab4743be69031f8358ad834-461.html#unique-entry-id-461</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks to Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez, it is now possible to document an introduction of Lissachatina fulica into an area hitherto not affected by this species.


...When he asked the owner of the locality where Adri&aacute;n collected it, the guy told him that a while ago he brought about hundred plants from Santo Domingo de los Ts&aacute;chilas (formerly known as Santo Domingo de los Colorados) in Prov. ...  The owner didn&rsquo;t want to kill the snail (he wanted to keep it as a pet) nor to let Adri&aacute;n scrutinize the property for more specimens. 


...This case is also a clear illustration of a pathway described by Cowie & Robinson (2003) in general and Cowie et al. (2008) for the horticultural industry.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Unknown helicinids and cyclophorids</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-28T09:06:04+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e64954151fe4305f30c4e455a6969246-460.html#unique-entry-id-460</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e64954151fe4305f30c4e455a6969246-460.html#unique-entry-id-460</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I recently received some pictures of helicinids, one live specimen and one of a shell only, plus some pictures of live cyclophorids. 

...The first helicinid is from Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez and was found during a recent trip to the cloud forest in Jun&iacute;n area in Prov. 

...He also sent me this picture of a Neocyclotus (?), which was collected by Gilman Santander near Armen&iacute;a, Quind&iacute;o, Colombia.


Finally, Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez sent me pictures of a similar (but distinct) species, found near Tembor, Chical area, northern Ecuador at 1700 m.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (94): Synapterpes</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-27T20:41:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5b457e85a4fa0b28ad19f5e0ce238b57-459.html#unique-entry-id-459</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5b457e85a4fa0b28ad19f5e0ce238b57-459.html#unique-entry-id-459</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Amoung the photographs that I recently received from Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez are some of a Synapterpes species.   As far as I could ascertain it is S. bicingulatus Fulton, 1908.


The pictures were taken in Ecuador, prov.   Imbabura, Jun&iacute;n area.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (93): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-26T16:29:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fda1e45ee03bbf3e1c451a0f64e76114-458.html#unique-entry-id-458</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fda1e45ee03bbf3e1c451a0f64e76114-458.html#unique-entry-id-458</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This locality is at 1670 m and thus in highland according to the definition by Huber (1995).


...It is an addition to my papers on the malacofauna of southern Venezuela (Breure, 2009; Breure & Schl&ouml;gl, 2010).


...New Orthalicidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from Venezuelan Guayana: unravelling secrets from the Lost World. - Zootaxa 2065: 26-50.


...Additional notes on Orthalicidae from the Chimant&aacute; massif, Venezuelan Guayana, with descriptions of new species of Plekocheilus Guilding, 1828 (Mollusca: Gastropoda). - Zootaxa 2416: 51-60.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>...and in Florida</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-23T19:26:30+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e543e2f0b9978193e836d304aa023051-457.html#unique-entry-id-457</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e543e2f0b9978193e836d304aa023051-457.html#unique-entry-id-457</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[David Robinson sent me a link to the following newspaper:


The USDA found out because some people ended up in hospital, one of them with suspected cerebral angiostrongyliasis, after they had been fed with liquid from live snails.   This was done during a African religious cult meeting. 


...David said and right he is when it comes to this species. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More on Lissachatina in Ecuador </title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-22T20:02:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e6b064050c52987ee51d6c5c8a8530c8-456.html#unique-entry-id-456</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e6b064050c52987ee51d6c5c8a8530c8-456.html#unique-entry-id-456</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Previously reports on the occurrence of Lissachatina fulica in Ecuador were based on a few observations and the assumption that this species was far more spread into the country.   This assumption is now supported by new records which have been documented by Modest Correoso (Correoso, 2010).


...Some of them were found in protected areas, like this picture documents.


In his paper, Correoso has also made a modelling of the potential distribution based on the known occurrences and SDM software.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (22): Annulariidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-21T17:03:21+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fe12ba5565235dc59c975a9da9584033-455.html#unique-entry-id-455</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fe12ba5565235dc59c975a9da9584033-455.html#unique-entry-id-455</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He just published a paper (Watters & Duffy, 2010) with ten new species and a new taxonomic placement for the genus Chrondropomella.   Except for one taxon that was discovered on the Bahamas, all other new species were found in the Dominican Republic.   Many of them occur on the Barahona Peninsula in the western part of the country, where also other interesting endemics may be found.


...The Caribbean land snail family Annulariidae: a revision of the higher taxa and a catalog of the species: 1-557, appendix: 1-3. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (21): species from Central America</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-20T08:23:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bf83c5eded83bed97dd32ad3daaea2be-454.html#unique-entry-id-454</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bf83c5eded83bed97dd32ad3daaea2be-454.html#unique-entry-id-454</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In a recent paper, Fred Thompson highlights some Spiraxidae from Costa Rica and Panama.   The subfamilies within this group and four genera are redescribed; two species are described as new taxa. 

...The first one is Rectaxis pagodus Thompson, 2010, from La Lola Agricultural station, west of Lim&oacute;n, Costa Rica. 

...Four species of land snails from Costa Rica and Panama (Pulmonata: Spiraxidae). - Revista de Biolog&iacute;a Tropical 58 (1): 195-202.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (92): Porphyrobaphe</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-19T20:11:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/93a6f143c01c0e6eb00cd3682712defe-453.html#unique-entry-id-453</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/93a6f143c01c0e6eb00cd3682712defe-453.html#unique-entry-id-453</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez keeps surprising me with beautiful pictures of living snails. ...  In the coastal hills near Salango he found living Porphyrobaphe iostoma (Sowerby, 1824).


Interesting enough, he reports the same species from Isla Salango, 1 km off the coast.   Here Adri&aacute;n found a population with both the typical purple lip and a variety with a pinkish lip.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>malacophilately</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-16T09:31:43+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4315cee43d607124151871140bd3a086-452.html#unique-entry-id-452</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4315cee43d607124151871140bd3a086-452.html#unique-entry-id-452</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As a youngster I collected stamps, which did many boys at that time.   It was typically a hobby for boys and men; never saw a women doing that.   The Amsterdam Group of Malacologists still has in its journal De Kreukel a regular item on shells on stamps.  

...Recently, Cuba issued a series of stamps to commemorate the 150th birthday of Dr Carlos de la Torre. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Argentinan field work (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-14T21:57:02+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/989dc8ad51758e01e5db95032f7b96b2-451.html#unique-entry-id-451</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/989dc8ad51758e01e5db95032f7b96b2-451.html#unique-entry-id-451</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The second day we went to an area north of Tucum&aacute;n, where the vegetation consists of dry &lsquo;chaco&rsquo;, with scattered Opuntia. 

...We found empty shells of Drymaeus poecilus (d&rsquo;Orbigny, 1835) and Spixia tucumanensis Parodiz, 1941.


As the Spixia lives between the roots of the spiny Opuntia, it is really recommendable to have gloves and a little scoop to unearth them.   Otherwise you will end up with your hands full of spines...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Argentinan fieldwork</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-13T21:09:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/097200d1237f2905b62dcb5f5781b246-450.html#unique-entry-id-450</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/097200d1237f2905b62dcb5f5781b246-450.html#unique-entry-id-450</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During my recent trip in South America, I did some field work during the weekend that I stayed in Tucum&aacute;n.   Gabriela Cuezzo and her husband took me up the hill west of the city, in a Biological Reserve (frequently visited by hikers during the weekends).


...We found several species, of which the first one was on special request of one of our students, Adelopoma tucma D&ouml;ring, 1884, for her phylogenetic research. 

...This is a common species in this area and we found also two engaged in some love-making (but not copulating yet).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (91): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-12T21:19:18+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c10aaacfe1656eabaab2051c1bb21431-449.html#unique-entry-id-449</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c10aaacfe1656eabaab2051c1bb21431-449.html#unique-entry-id-449</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is a picture of what appears like a subadult Plekocheilus (Eurytus) cf. taylorianus (Reeve, 1849).


The picture was taken by Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez in Prov.   Imbabura, Chontal Alto region, in cloud forest.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Species list Santa Catarina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-09T17:27:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/18b25e581b7919a2880515ecd87c64b9-448.html#unique-entry-id-448</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/18b25e581b7919a2880515ecd87c64b9-448.html#unique-entry-id-448</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A new list on the non-marine molluscs found in Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil has been published (Agudo, 2010).   The list totals 160 taxa (species and subspecies) and is available here.


...Agudo-Padr&oacute;n, A.I., 2008 [2010].   Listagem sistem&aacute;tica dos moluscos continentais ocorrentes no Estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. - Comunicaciones de la Sociedad Malacol&oacute;gica del Uruguay 9: 147-179.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (90): Solaropsis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-08T14:58:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/481884d24de5dc2cfbc6ce1d978d72a0-447.html#unique-entry-id-447</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/481884d24de5dc2cfbc6ce1d978d72a0-447.html#unique-entry-id-447</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez kindly forwarded me a photograph from a Solaropsis species. ...  The picture was made by Jaime Buest&aacute;n in Ecuador, Prov. 

...Interestingly, Adri&aacute;n found the same species recently in Prov.   Imbabura, Sanguagal, 600 m and in cold cloud forest at 1500 m in the Chontal Alto area in the same province.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Introduction to Taxonomy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-06T21:23:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/603c2be7d901df592946bbeec3d1e592-446.html#unique-entry-id-446</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/603c2be7d901df592946bbeec3d1e592-446.html#unique-entry-id-446</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For those of you not familiar with the essentials of taxonomy (is there anyone out there?), see the new presentation of BIONET here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (20): Olympus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-07T20:30:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c600d8bc9d6ebceaa030b95a1d57aa79-445.html#unique-entry-id-445</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c600d8bc9d6ebceaa030b95a1d57aa79-445.html#unique-entry-id-445</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently, Luiz Simone published a paper on a new genus and species from the tepui area in the Brazilian/Venezuelan border (Simone, 2010). 

...This locality is in lowland at the base of the tepui on the Brazilian-Venezuelan border, Pico da Neblina = Cerro de Neblina. 

...Olympus is said to be closely related to Solaropsis, a Camaenid genus that is considered by Cuezzo (2003) to be part of the Caracolinae and by Schieleyko (2006) considered as Pleurodontidae. 

...Molecular phylogeny of the helicoid land snails (Pulmonata: Stylommatophora: Helicoidea), with special emphasis on the Camaenidae. &mdash; Journal of Molluscan Studies 73: 411-415. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (89): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-06T20:14:57+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/da26eb34e12baf1cd3ee5b6156cc440e-444.html#unique-entry-id-444</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/da26eb34e12baf1cd3ee5b6156cc440e-444.html#unique-entry-id-444</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today two photographs of Drymaeus serratus (Pfeiffer, 1855).   Both pictures were taken by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n during a recent trip to Tingo Mar&iacute;a in eastern Peru.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (88): Simpulopsis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-02T13:44:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f88a1a9e6ae550c041c7d13a76be6bf3-443.html#unique-entry-id-443</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f88a1a9e6ae550c041c7d13a76be6bf3-443.html#unique-entry-id-443</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The same species that is shown in the previous post in this series, Simpulopsis citrinovitrea (Moricand, 1836) is here depictured from two other localities.


The first one is from Ecuador, Pichincha, Mindo.


The second series was taken in Colombia, Riseralda, region of Otun-Quimbaya.


All pictures were sent to me by Francisco Borrero.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New paper published</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-01T19:33:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a9a1449fc3b6f0df500c1fef7e475c30-442.html#unique-entry-id-442</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a9a1449fc3b6f0df500c1fef7e475c30-442.html#unique-entry-id-442</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today a new paper about Plekocheilus from Venezuelan Guayana was published in Zootaxa.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Small Mexican families</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-04-01T19:27:26+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/374b2be73bbf916618215f3cbd929919-441.html#unique-entry-id-441</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/374b2be73bbf916618215f3cbd929919-441.html#unique-entry-id-441</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the most recent number of the American Malacological Bulletin a series of papers was published  as a result of the AMS 2008 Leslie Hubricht symnposium on land snails. 

...In this paper they discuss the distribution of the lesser represented land snail families in Mexico, based on literature and unpublished data. 

...For a number of families they give distribution maps of species or compiled data at generic level. 

...Despite a vast base of records, lots of work remains to be done by those Neotropical snail lovers residing or visiting Mexico.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (87): Simpulopsis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-31T22:03:55+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/66123040ec41f603f7dd1137d9faf37b-440.html#unique-entry-id-440</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/66123040ec41f603f7dd1137d9faf37b-440.html#unique-entry-id-440</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These pictures are Simpulopsis cf. citrinovitrea (Moricand, 1836) and were taken by Adri&aacute;n Gonzalez in western Ecuador, area of Jun&iacute;n.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Feedback welcome</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-30T20:21:06+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/70fa2316079257daacb7712a484cb03f-439.html#unique-entry-id-439</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/70fa2316079257daacb7712a484cb03f-439.html#unique-entry-id-439</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On my homepage you will now see a red feedback button.   If you have any suggestion for improvements of the site, just click the button and give your suggestion.   Your user voice will be heard!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SimpleMappr</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-30T18:54:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8cbc987b23245eeee89678616b6b8add-438.html#unique-entry-id-438</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8cbc987b23245eeee89678616b6b8add-438.html#unique-entry-id-438</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When you want to make a map with localities for a paper or presentation, you often end up using rather complicated methods involving several steps.


Today I found what seems to be a simple solution: SimpleMappr.


It is web-based map-making software, highly configurable and very easy to use.   After a short test I think I&rsquo;m going to love this one...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Carination again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-29T07:17:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7187aa19cc585721382bc81b1f8d93d8-437.html#unique-entry-id-437</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7187aa19cc585721382bc81b1f8d93d8-437.html#unique-entry-id-437</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some time ago I wrote about &lsquo;evolution at work&rsquo; and the phenomenon of carination (see also this and linked posts). 

...When I was in Tucum&aacute;n, I saw some lots - collected by Weyrauch - showing the transition between the two species. 

...Since I strongly have the impression that Weyrauch mixed shells from an area (and also from different visits) into one lot, it is probable that these transitional forms were not found at one spot (and at one time). 


...- How extended is the population of S. baroni and is there also hybridization with S. debilisculptus Weyrauch, 1967 which occurs at slightly higher elevation in the valley?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (86): Scutalus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-26T16:46:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7626ba1f72e8544320851c4986df7ae1-436.html#unique-entry-id-436</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7626ba1f72e8544320851c4986df7ae1-436.html#unique-entry-id-436</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the Rio Jequetepeque valley we visited the Tembladera area, where we found Scutalus baroni (Fulton, 1896).   This is a species occurring on steep rock-faces.


A specimen was kept alive till the return in Lima.


More on this species in the next post.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Peru trip</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-25T16:32:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/428c30222634b4667f969f4076bbf88c-435.html#unique-entry-id-435</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/428c30222634b4667f969f4076bbf88c-435.html#unique-entry-id-435</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The first was to Rio Ca&ntilde;ete valley, Huancayo and back to Lima via the Rio Rimac valley.   The hunt was for several Bostryx species, but we were only partly successful.    Species like B. solutus and B. multiconspectus were difficult to find given the time available.


...On top of being malacologically successful, it was great to have the &lsquo;Andean experience&rsquo; again. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A snail with a long tail</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-03-24T16:02:08+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/10eaa2884a8e7e69a3a516bf746ff209-434.html#unique-entry-id-434</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/10eaa2884a8e7e69a3a516bf746ff209-434.html#unique-entry-id-434</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In Holland we have the saying &ldquo;That mouse will have a long tail...&rdquo;, denoting that some consequences may follow. 

...There was even a total &ldquo;black-out&rdquo; at the airport, when the whole plane was waiting at the bagage claim.


...However, when she drove down to the city we had to pass some low areas where the streets had become rivers instead.   She drove for ca. 10 minutes through the water and we made it safely to the place where I would stay during my visit. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>near Bariloche</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-19T19:59:13+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/af4bd61cc02b19f07b97b4a92d6ac4ef-433.html#unique-entry-id-433</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/af4bd61cc02b19f07b97b4a92d6ac4ef-433.html#unique-entry-id-433</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With two colleagues that I met during the congress, I spent a most enjoyable day in the field.   Very poor in snails however, only one slug seen (Deroceras?).


We had a good hunt on grasshoppers and beetles though.


Tomorrow traveling to Tucum&aacute;n.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SCC Day 4</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-18T18:18:26+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/612c004083f0259f79d70e627e747051-432.html#unique-entry-id-432</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/612c004083f0259f79d70e627e747051-432.html#unique-entry-id-432</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Climatic variations ranging in length from multimillennia to decades run throughout the palaeo-records of the Quaternary and earlier Cenozoic and have been shown to have had impacts ranging from changes in the genetic structure and morphology of individual species, population sizes and distributions, community composition to large-scale biodiversity gradients.   The biogeographical impacts of climate change may be due directly to the effects of alterations in temperature and moisture on species, or they may arise due to changes in factors such as disturbance regimes. ...  These include increasingly finely resolved chronological resolution, more refined atmosphere-biosphere modelling, new biological and chemical techniques in reconstructing past species distributions and past climates, the development of large and readily accessible geo-referenced databases of biogeographical and climatic information, and new approaches in fossil morphological analysis and new molecular DNA techniques (McDonald et al., 2008).


...While this was at one hand a disadvantage (less presentations to which you can easily relate, less people you know beforehand), on the other hand presented a challenging advantage (more learning opportunities across discipline borders, quickly update of recent results i various fields). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SCC Day 3</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-17T18:17:13+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e5a7c7f88633895e99e8d279ec0a334b-431.html#unique-entry-id-431</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e5a7c7f88633895e99e8d279ec0a334b-431.html#unique-entry-id-431</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The number of pollen diagrams that I have seen in these few days passing by during presentations, is really quite astonishing. 

...In the Evolution stream there was an interesting presentation by Mar&iacute;a Salinas on Tillandsia from coastal deserts in Chile and Peru. ...  Supported by phylogenetic evidence, she showed that unrooted Tillandsia, growing directly on a sandy substrate, have evolved independently three times in evolution.


...Change in ecosystems has to be viewed as endemic, as opposed to the static conservation view of places and species. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SCC Day 2</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-16T13:34:55+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a94a2d65ff2cfaef091d9fb00e3e54f-430.html#unique-entry-id-430</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a94a2d65ff2cfaef091d9fb00e3e54f-430.html#unique-entry-id-430</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Interesting talks were given by Hermann Behling on Late Quarternary Auraucaria vegetation in southern Brazil and by Vera Markgraf, who showed that - contrary to current belief - precipitation coming from the Atlantic may have played a more important role than hitherto assumed in explaining palaeoclimatic patterns in Patagonia.


...Comparison with historical processes reveal that at the end of the 19th century, increased demand for wool in Europe, initiated a chain of events that eventually lead to the introduction of sheep farming in Patagonia.   Common factors shared by historical and current desertification processes are a) changes do occur during short periods; b) remote global markets are driving local changes; c) extra-regional pressure for land-use change and production intensification; d) climatic variability plays a role.   It may be inferred that is necessary to understand the role of exogenous drivers triggering land-use change in socio-ecological systems, i.e. how different drivers together during a short period may produce a rapid change through critical thresholds.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SCC Day 1</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-15T21:34:01+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/756d5349cfca64ce9bf2bd7b88cf0aca-429.html#unique-entry-id-429</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/756d5349cfca64ce9bf2bd7b88cf0aca-429.html#unique-entry-id-429</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Arrived in Bariloche last night and got to the congress this morning, which opened with a keynote lecture by V. 

...In the afternoon attended a series of lectures on tectonic evolution of Patagonia and adjacent terrains: implications to the early divergence of austral biota.


...Due to the fact that the CD with the abstracts seems to be copy-protected, I can&rsquo;t give you more details at the moment. 

...We had already email contact for quite a while, but it is always a pleasure to meet an important colleague in person.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>MZSP Day 4</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-12T18:08:23+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3bce708ea33e47304702f8b9820afcb0-428.html#unique-entry-id-428</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3bce708ea33e47304702f8b9820afcb0-428.html#unique-entry-id-428</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My last day at the museum was mainly spent to sort out material that I will have on loan, to go through the other terrestrial snails, to discuss a forthcoming paper with Luiz Simone and scan some (otherwise hard-to-find) papers that I found in the library.


Before I left, I took a quick stroll through the public part of the museum and the temporary Darwin exhibition.


That&rsquo;s what you call a classic museum, isn&rsquo;t it?


Tomorrow, the museum will be closed (Carnival is starting here) and Sunday I&rsquo;ll be traveling to Bariloche.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>MZSP Day 3</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-11T21:29:23+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/179776b73cc87bd215f4e890aaeac1b7-427.html#unique-entry-id-427</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/179776b73cc87bd215f4e890aaeac1b7-427.html#unique-entry-id-427</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I made my way through the Bulimulidae and Orthalicidae (yes, these families should be kept separate; more on that next week). 


Some peculiar specimens were spotted, e.g. this Leiostracus perlucidus (Spix,1827) with a light blue part in the animal.   As it was the only specimen on alcohol, i don&rsquo;t know if this is maybe an artifact due to preservation.


Also this Drymaeus species, mislabelled as Bulimulus, caught my attention, as it is from an interesting locality (Minas Gerais) and has not been mentioned in Simone&rsquo;s book.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>MZSP Day 2</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-10T21:10:32+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/172c1e17d0150da42a12f72746730867-426.html#unique-entry-id-426</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/172c1e17d0150da42a12f72746730867-426.html#unique-entry-id-426</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During my second day I worked mainly on the Amphibulimidae and Odontostomidae.   Here are some of the pretty snails that I saw...


...Cyclodontina sectilabris (Pfeiffer, 1850)


Anostoma depressum Lamarck, 1822
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>MZSP Day 1</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-09T18:35:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce95a1a564243410800dbbccb048575a-425.html#unique-entry-id-425</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce95a1a564243410800dbbccb048575a-425.html#unique-entry-id-425</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I arrived at the Museu do Zoologia de Universidade de S&atilde;o Paulo, Luiz Simone hadn&rsquo;t arrived yet and so ended up in the library. 

...We roughly outlined what I would try to achive this week and soon I was digging in the collection. 

...Luiz told me that a new building will be erected soon as annex, entirely devoted to the collections and with proper climatization.


I was especially interested in the fluid samples, of which part should be suitable for molecular study.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (85): Porphyrobaphe</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-08T09:34:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f594a6807bb28e75e20d9ab406a68bdf-424.html#unique-entry-id-424</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f594a6807bb28e75e20d9ab406a68bdf-424.html#unique-entry-id-424</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These photos were submitted by Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez Guill&eacute;n and taken in Ecuador, near Puerto L&oacute;pez.   They show the habitat of Porphyrobaphe iostoma (Sowerby, 1824) and a close-up of two of the shells found at this locality.


Thanks Adri&aacute;n...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bibliography</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-04T18:28:26+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63c10c4d7157c8f506dca9a6f4f1263b-423.html#unique-entry-id-423</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63c10c4d7157c8f506dca9a6f4f1263b-423.html#unique-entry-id-423</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A pre-publication, entitled Bibliography of Cuban terrestrial Mollusca, including related and biohistorical papers on Cuban malacology, is now available here.


This is the outcome of joint work with Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez, which had quite some elapsed time but was kick-started when Adri&aacute;n send me his rough data. 


We know that some data are still missing, but if you find any omissions or have suggestions for additions, please let us know.


We expect to formally publish this work within a few months. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>About IFs and the funding of taxonomy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-04T18:26:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f6a91e3a53906265ad8b02eca5f27cb4-422.html#unique-entry-id-422</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f6a91e3a53906265ad8b02eca5f27cb4-422.html#unique-entry-id-422</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A colleague draw my attention to the following article that seems relevant for all those taxonomists out there who are struggling against the terror of Impact Factors and are wondering why taxonomy is such a discipline in decline in the Year of Biodiversity.


...These were mostly dedicated to projects aimed at providing services to taxonomy via information and technology, or to develop &ldquo;modern&rdquo;, i.e., molecular, approaches to taxonomy. ...  It is argued that both novel and traditional ways to study biodiversity are essential and that the demise of traditional taxonomy (based on phenotypes) in the era of biodiversity is the result of an unwise policy, mainly fostered by portions of the scientific community that aim at taking total advantage of the funds dedicated to the study of biodiversity.


...The study of species in the era of biodiversity: a tale of stupidity. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Nature</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-05T08:10:59+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f30927a6259320b72274aa9a0c3cdf08-421.html#unique-entry-id-421</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f30927a6259320b72274aa9a0c3cdf08-421.html#unique-entry-id-421</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The good news is that you can register at Nature.com and get alerts of new publications (you can select from a number of fields of interest).   The better news for those of you who have an iPhone, is that there is now a free app that will allow you to log in and read your preferred alerts on your phone.


The sad news is that this service is free till 30 April.   So, hurry up to enjoy your three months of free reading of all those (supposed to be) important Nature news.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New books</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-04T07:12:46+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b720ba4e5167eced90441fe3e640da43-420.html#unique-entry-id-420</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b720ba4e5167eced90441fe3e640da43-420.html#unique-entry-id-420</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My Spanish is not good enough to understand the more&nbsp;technical details that the authors have written but from what I can understand it is a carefully written and thoroughly researched book. 

...There is a quite complication story to this book (which is beyond the scope of this blog), that has been published as a tribute to Carlos de la Torre y Huerta (1858-1950) in 2008. 

...I had the privilege to have a sneak preview and I can assure you this will be a reference work for those working on the biogeography of northern South America.


...The multidisciplinary approach in evaluating the history of Amazonia has resulted in a comprehensive volume that provides novel insights into the evolution of this region and can serve as reference for a variety of scientists working in Amazonia. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (84): Coloniconcha</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-03T08:54:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3299412c30f3ab6b8ef480d0b222fdcc-419.html#unique-entry-id-419</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3299412c30f3ab6b8ef480d0b222fdcc-419.html#unique-entry-id-419</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[David Robinson recently made a trip to Dominican Republic, at the time the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince.   &ldquo;The idea of collecting specimens seemed paltry and unimportant compared with what was going on&rdquo;.   Nevertheless he was able to collect some specimens of Coloniconcha prima Pilsbry, 1933.   These youngsters are the pic(k) of the day.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Empty desk</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-05T09:45:56+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e2c1a277b407360d7593ab24e45e1040-418.html#unique-entry-id-418</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e2c1a277b407360d7593ab24e45e1040-418.html#unique-entry-id-418</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My schedule is to visit Sao Paulo (work in the Museu Zoologia), Bariloche (congress Southern Connection), Tucum&aacute;n (work in Instituto Miguel Lillo) and Peru (fieldwork).


I will try to post as much as possible on this blog, assuming that I will have access to the internet from time to time.   Also I hope to publish pictures to my NeoSnail account on Flickr and if you have Twitter, you can follow me under the same name. 

...Follow NeoSnail on his first trip to the Neotropics since many years...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Book of Life is on fire</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-01T09:42:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/446de80afa5fc72068fed5c2f2aad73a-417.html#unique-entry-id-417</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/446de80afa5fc72068fed5c2f2aad73a-417.html#unique-entry-id-417</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But for the rest of the (non-nerd) scope of humanity, it's the *practical* information contained in that library that is of greatest value (especially to those humans living a few decades to a few centuries from now, who will actually know how to put it to practical use). &nbsp;

...But we probably haven't even yet imagined the most valuable stuff buried in that library stuff we will only be able to fathom after we get past the "see spot run" stage of our ability to read and interpret the information (and the crude metrics of community ecology that we've had at our disposal so far).


...people, this warrants little more than a shrug of the shoulders -- in much the same way that a young child might shrug his or her shoulders when told that the last copy of Homer's the Odyssey, or the Origin of Species, or General Relativity, or the complete works of Shakespeare, or any of the major religious tomes were destroyed and lost forever. ...  ve, in much the same way that humans 100 years from now will look upon us as we try to justify the study of biodiversity only in terms of what's important to a taxonomist.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tentacle 18</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-30T09:18:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1dd6869abb2e5cbb66d40b8dc5737905-416.html#unique-entry-id-416</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1dd6869abb2e5cbb66d40b8dc5737905-416.html#unique-entry-id-416</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In total, 37 taxa out of the 116 recorded for this state are considered either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered according to IUCN Red List criteria. 

...They also discuss seven species of which the introduction is unresolved (some authors consider them native) and 16 taxa that have potential to invade Brazil. 


...However, land snails are only briefly mentioned in a Table and the emphasis in this paper is totally on freshwater snails. 

...Land molluscs of the Silla de Romano Protected Area, north coast of Cuba, and their conservation problems. - Tentacle 18: 22-25.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biology of Lissachatina in Brazil</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-02-02T21:42:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fe583ef7119bc3d7e4193b2138212165-415.html#unique-entry-id-415</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fe583ef7119bc3d7e4193b2138212165-415.html#unique-entry-id-415</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Studies on its biology, however, are relatively scarce and especially the influence of climatic variables and human density on growth and condition of this species.


...The results show that humidity had a significant influence on length and weight, and temperature was the only significant factor that influenced condition. 

...Do climate variables and human density affect Achatina fulica (Bowditch) (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) shell length, total weight and condition factor? - Brazilian Journal of Biology 69: 879-885.


...Into the Andes: three new introductions of Lissachatina fulica (Gastropoda, Achatinidae) and its potential distribution in South America. - Tentacle 17: 6-8.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Naturalis &#x3e; NCB Naturalis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-28T06:00:17+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/72742c209548ea94bfef43d79585019b-414.html#unique-entry-id-414</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/72742c209548ea94bfef43d79585019b-414.html#unique-entry-id-414</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For those of you wanting to see a glimpse of all this, a webcast will be broadcasted between 13.30h and 14.30h (times GMT+1). 

...During the symposium, of which I only saw the keynote (partially) through webcast, Richard Lane gave his thoughts about the future direction of taxonomy. ...  Making use of new technologies and better ways of collaboration - both within and between institutions on (inter)national scale - he thinks that productivity can be boosted. 

...The Minister of Agriculture and Nature Protection gave a talk with all the right soundbites for the opening of the Dutch equivalent of the International Year for Biodiversity. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (7): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-27T19:44:11+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/93840cc22d1927e421cb0315b5903be9-413.html#unique-entry-id-413</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/93840cc22d1927e421cb0315b5903be9-413.html#unique-entry-id-413</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another Bostryx species from Peru, B. bermudezae Weyrauch, 1967 occurring in Rio Ca&ntilde;ete, Quichao.   This species has - like the previous one - the formula C/3 + LM x//2, where x = 19.   However, in this group of Bostryx species there are four different lateromarginals (see page 239 in this paper). 


From above left, clockwise: central teeth, interactie rows, detail 4th lateromarginal, 12-13th lateromarginal.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New slug from Santa Catarina&#x2c; Brazil</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-26T19:39:27+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b75127d086a04d499c2a308a12676655-412.html#unique-entry-id-412</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b75127d086a04d499c2a308a12676655-412.html#unique-entry-id-412</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Alien slugs can develop easily in pest species and the increase of global horticultural trade is facilitate the entrance of new invaders (Cowie et al, 2008). ...  The occurrence of this species has now been confirmed for the southern state Santa Catarina in Brazil (Agudo-Padr&oacute;n, 2009). 


...First confirmed record of the exotic slug Milax gagates (Draparnaud, 1801) in the Southernmost Brazil region. - Ellipsaria 11(3): 15-16.


...Horticultural industry as a vector of alien snails and slugs: widespread invasions in Hawaii. - International Journal of Pest Management 54: 267-276.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails from French Guiana</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-25T10:55:37+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eaec09a68fc0493da78b9c7678ae21fe-411.html#unique-entry-id-411</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eaec09a68fc0493da78b9c7678ae21fe-411.html#unique-entry-id-411</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And even though the book &lsquo;Coquillages et escargots de Guyane&rsquo; (Massemin et al., 2009) predominantly deals with seashells, it has a good section on land snails.


...However, the first part of the book is in French only; it deals with an introduction to molluscs, geography of French Guiana and habitats of snails.


...An illustrated key is given to families and species, followed by a characterization of each family and treatment of each species. 

...I would like to congratulate Olivier Gargominy, author of the chapter on terrestrial snails, for delivering such a nice piece of work.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SRF and carination</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-23T08:35:08+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d2699d1cbd624e26c1d67de93d4e54db-410.html#unique-entry-id-410</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d2699d1cbd624e26c1d67de93d4e54db-410.html#unique-entry-id-410</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Based in the UK, this is a fund that is open to biologists all over the world.   It offers small grants to cover e.g. contributions to publication costs, time on analytical equipment, specimen preparation or fieldwork equipment.


...With a possible opportunity to do some work on carination later this year, it was a chance to apply for some money to cover additional field work and thereby potentially increase the depth of the study. ...  If you don&rsquo;t see me listed on their page of awarded projects later this year, I wasn&rsquo;t &lsquo;standing out in the crowd&rsquo;.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (6): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-21T08:24:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/58a6ba5c5f875599fd2acb36783f7183-409.html#unique-entry-id-409</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/58a6ba5c5f875599fd2acb36783f7183-409.html#unique-entry-id-409</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Admittedly, the quality of these pictures is not as we see them nowadays. ...  SEM photographs made in the early 70s of last century...


Today the species is Bostryx anomphalus Pilsbry 1944, occurring in Peru, near Lima. in the Rio Rimac and R. 

...From left to right, clockwise: Central teeth, first and second laterals, interactions between rows and detail of teeth 19.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Preparing for SCC</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-20T08:39:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5826fb787909066253cadf2742dd7e16-408.html#unique-entry-id-408</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5826fb787909066253cadf2742dd7e16-408.html#unique-entry-id-408</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And since it will be the first time since 34 years that I will re-visit Latin America, I&rsquo;m quite excited.


...At the time I had to decide about the form (oral or poster), the schedule of the program wasn&rsquo;t ready yet. ...  Recently I learned that posters will be presented in a plenary meeting, while oral presentations will be done in a parallel session and have to compete with three concurrent symposia at the same time.


I will give more details about the congress and my trip in upcoming posts, but let me tease you with a sneak preview of my poster.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails as biomonitors</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-19T20:09:08+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3ee5e818df7d2837c70fcd372e77ec1f-407.html#unique-entry-id-407</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3ee5e818df7d2837c70fcd372e77ec1f-407.html#unique-entry-id-407</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The purpose of this study was to biomonitor metropolitan areas of Porto Alegre (Brazil) for PAHs associated with atmospheric particles and check their effects on the DNA of the land mollusk Helix aspersa. ...  The samples were collected during a continuous period of 24 hours during 15 days using Stacked Filter Units (SFU) on polycarbonate filters (two separated size fractions: PM10-2.5 and PM<2.5). ...  This evaluation shows that, in general, the smaller PM-size fractions (PM<2.5) have the highest genotoxicity and contain higher concentrations of extractable organic matter. ...  DNA damage in H. aspersa exposed to atmospheric particulate in Metropolitan Area of Porto Alegre demonstrated association with PAHs in the fine filter (PM<2.5).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another case of snail predation</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-18T22:10:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/973c8a7370b19f0957a6344bf31d93fc-406.html#unique-entry-id-406</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/973c8a7370b19f0957a6344bf31d93fc-406.html#unique-entry-id-406</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently I wrote about a streptaxid species predating on a slug.   There is another well-known snail predating group, viz. ...  In the very recently book on French Guiana molluscs (Massemin et al., 2009), there is a series of pictures illustrating how Euglandina striata feeds on Leiostracus ruthveni.


I will come back on the book in an upcoming post.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (83): Bothriembryon</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-15T21:58:58+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c38df0bc3830a19ccda83c75cc45ec50-405.html#unique-entry-id-405</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c38df0bc3830a19ccda83c75cc45ec50-405.html#unique-entry-id-405</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On this website I found a picture of Bothriembryon tasmanicus (Pfeiffer, 1853).   I don&rsquo;t know if it is a common species on Tasmania, but anyway, pictures of living snails are always a good find.   It is said to belong to a different subgenus, Tasmanembryon, but it would be interesting to see if the molecular data corroborate that view.   Anyone around there to collect some specimens?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (5): Spartocentrum</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-14T21:13:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a42f02a6f3d1756c5831137e3be5958-404.html#unique-entry-id-404</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a42f02a6f3d1756c5831137e3be5958-404.html#unique-entry-id-404</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These photos are of a rare Baja Californian species, Spartocentrum vanduzeei (Hanna, 1923). 


From left above, clockwise: overview of radula, central teeth and first lateral, L13-19, L5-9.   The formula is C/3 + LM 24/2.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (82): Brachypodella</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-12T08:11:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cf4610a1cd2e99eb5f904b314e5da67d-403.html#unique-entry-id-403</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cf4610a1cd2e99eb5f904b314e5da67d-403.html#unique-entry-id-403</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another endemic snail from St.   Lucia, Brachypodella tatei (Crosse, 1872), from Union Garden trail, in humid forest.


This picture was taken in November 2000 by Ad Hovestadt.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (81): Naesiotus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-11T21:56:51+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/41b13e802e39032df93f585dbf754b68-402.html#unique-entry-id-402</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/41b13e802e39032df93f585dbf754b68-402.html#unique-entry-id-402</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is a photo of one of the endemic species of the island of St. ...  It is Naesiotus luciae (Pilsbry, 1897) and was taken west of Desbarra.


This picture was taken by Ad Hovestadt during his recent trip to the island in November 2009.   Thanks Ad!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (4): Berendtia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-08T12:00:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e0322b9000f783a7809ea0619f16a90b-401.html#unique-entry-id-401</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e0322b9000f783a7809ea0619f16a90b-401.html#unique-entry-id-401</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Berendtia is a monotypic genus occurring in Mexico, Baja California.   One specimen of B. taylori (Pfeiffer, 1861) has been dissected (Breure, 1978: 159), but the radula has never been figured before.


From upper left, clockwise: central teeth, interaction between rows, LM7-13, LM14-21.


The formula is C3 + LM 30-34/2.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snail-slug predation</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-07T11:11:01+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/652bfadd31cacd6e925b9b729230302e-400.html#unique-entry-id-400</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/652bfadd31cacd6e925b9b729230302e-400.html#unique-entry-id-400</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Olivier Gargominy posted today a video on YouTube, showing how the slug Elisolimax vittatus (Fischer, 1883) is predated by the strepatxid land snail Gulella corneola (Morelet, 1885). 


Olivier wrote me that he sampled both species and when he wanted to photograph them, put them on the mossy bark. ...  Gulella didn&rsquo;t completely devour the slug, but was a little daunty. 

...This isn&rsquo;t a Neotropical story though, the film was shot on the Comores.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Prospect of a new year</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-04T10:32:18+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c0673c50ffd6cc41d62de083cac23c9-399.html#unique-entry-id-399</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c0673c50ffd6cc41d62de083cac23c9-399.html#unique-entry-id-399</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, one thing is certain: biodiversity loss will continue. 2010 is another countdown year, despite the fact that many new taxa will be described.


...Related to biodiversity is the reorganization of the National Museum of Natural History Naturalis to the Netherlands Center for Biodiversity Naturalis. ...  The Zoological Museum Amsterdam and the National Herbarium will be fusing, making it one of the bigger natural history institutions in Europe.


...If we continue to make such contributions during 2010, it will be rightly Year of Biodiversity.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x27;Freeware&#x27;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-06T13:06:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9e90fca4484d1caf52f1986006c5e91d-398.html#unique-entry-id-398</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9e90fca4484d1caf52f1986006c5e91d-398.html#unique-entry-id-398</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m not only a supporter of open access to scientific publications, but also to open standards and freeware (or at least low-cost) software for academic uses. 

...Lucid is one of these commercial packages and is more and more in use.   Although it may be arguably seen as a marketing trick to lure you, I don&rsquo;t want to withhold from you that currently Lucid 3.3 may be grabbed here for free.


The latest version is 3.5 and of course has more features, but I think version 3.3 is still an offer not to be refused. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Open access</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-06T12:42:35+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e9577e8c71d6505f0292186fd8e46a50-397.html#unique-entry-id-397</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e9577e8c71d6505f0292186fd8e46a50-397.html#unique-entry-id-397</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For those of you interested in the ongoing debate on open access publishing, the Open Access News might be a good source to keep on track.


The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) issues a newsletter, of which the latest issue summarizes the advancement during 2009. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Vanishing snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-05T22:39:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8605798dbe64311c5f25f6c35a11bda5-396.html#unique-entry-id-396</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8605798dbe64311c5f25f6c35a11bda5-396.html#unique-entry-id-396</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In another recent publication, Christine Parent and Guy Coppois tell the story of their fascination with Gal&aacute;pagos land snails and their concerns about conservation issues with these animals.


Coppois has a long experience with field work on these islands, visiting the archipelago for the first time in 1973 and continuing during 30 years. 

...Habitat destruction and the negative impact of introduced predators and competition of alien pest species, like veronicellid slugs, may be considered the main causes of the decline of land snails on these islands.


The personal stories of both authors reveal their fascination with this group, which is a thankful subject for studies in evolutionary biology. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The ecology of adaptive radiation in bulimulids</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2010-01-04T11:29:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/632117caec4515fcf5fdd2f20f686181-395.html#unique-entry-id-395</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/632117caec4515fcf5fdd2f20f686181-395.html#unique-entry-id-395</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Thanks to Christine Parent and co-workers, much progress has been made on our understanding of the ecology and phylogenetic relationships of this group (Parent & Crespi, 2006; Parent et al., 2008).


...Although Gal&aacute;pagos bulimulids are not host-plant specific, they  are distributed in space according to different local microhabitats, with differences in substrates, plant species, vegetation types and resting places. 

...The results show that the number of congeners inhabiting the same vegetation zone is negatively correlated with the degree of intraspecific variation in shell shape and resource heterogeneity was positively correlated. 

...The main conclusion of this study is that competition and resource heterogeneity are significant determinants of interspecific phenotypic variation in the context of adaptive radiation.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>E-publication: the debate continues</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-23T19:25:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1cb78587b9ae5a3b6f45c60e3f1afb06-394.html#unique-entry-id-394</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1cb78587b9ae5a3b6f45c60e3f1afb06-394.html#unique-entry-id-394</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today the ICZN published a new installment in the discussion on amending the rules on nomenclature to allow e-publications.


...One of the remarks being made in this installment, is that publishing as PDF is less future-proof than usually thought. 

...With theses and dissertations increasingly being made freely available online, as well as abstracts and conference proceedings, authors should be directed to clearly disclaim first-time use of names in all non-peer reviewed, manuscript-like, grey literature-type online publications.&rdquo;. 

...It is clear that different views are being held in the taxonomic society, with a majority leaning to endorse the possibility of e-publications. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>BHL improvement</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-22T09:41:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e308af69b4720d6f4dbcdf5139cbaf94-393.html#unique-entry-id-393</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e308af69b4720d6f4dbcdf5139cbaf94-393.html#unique-entry-id-393</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not only the amount of works increases (now 838 titles tagged with &ldquo;Mollusks&rdquo;) and important recent works have been added (e.g., Bouchet & Rocroi&rsquo;s publication), also their services have substantially improved.


A few weeks ago I discovered that they offered the service of downloading selected pages from a work as PDF. ...  Especially when you have low bandwidth, this can be a very time-consuming action, as most titles comprise many Megabytes. 

...When you know the pages on which the paper of your choice appeared, you can directly go to the dropdown menu and &lsquo;Select pages to download&rsquo;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Useful links</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-21T11:54:16+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e35423befa2791025d2437515aa860b5-392.html#unique-entry-id-392</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e35423befa2791025d2437515aa860b5-392.html#unique-entry-id-392</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One of the persons I met last week in Portugal was Dora Lange Canhos, director of the Centro de Refer&ecirc;ncia em Informa&ccedil;&atilde;o Ambiental, CRIA (Reference Center on Environmental Information).   It is a Brazilian not-for-profit NGO aimed at a more sustainable use of biodiversity through the dissemination of high quality information.


...Checklist is a quarterly journal that publishes occurrence lists, geographic distribution maps and notes on the geographic distribution of taxa. 

...And although the relevance for Neotropical malacology of these journals is limited, I hope that in the future also papers on land snails will be published.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Last posting 2009</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-24T10:08:21+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fb1ec2b5f5523798dc2e6db651685d0d-391.html#unique-entry-id-391</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fb1ec2b5f5523798dc2e6db651685d0d-391.html#unique-entry-id-391</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is my last posting this year.   Like last year, I have scanned my photo galleries to see which picture captures some of my research interests and looks good at the same time.   This is what I found:


The picture was taken at Chur&iacute;-tepui in southern Venezuela by Charles Brewer-Carias, whom I like to thank for his kind permission to share it here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>EDIT Wrap Up</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-18T09:25:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0d239c3de1345810540a16f7c890d9c0-390.html#unique-entry-id-390</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0d239c3de1345810540a16f7c890d9c0-390.html#unique-entry-id-390</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Collaboration between different institutions, in this case at the European level, is not as easy as it may seem. 

...And one you have these basics, the ease with which different sources of information may be tapped and seamlessly integrate is quite fascinating. 

...When in the field, biologists (taxonomists) need to act as &lsquo;walking dataloggers&rsquo;, capturing data to be transferred to databases with as much ease as possible. 

...We should take more efforts to make good use of the interest of &ldquo;pro-amateurs&rdquo;, people who are often spending considerable time effort to what they see as a &lsquo;hobby&rsquo;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scratchpad training</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-17T11:04:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c4778df0f2a1caf496e3329dd3827b58-389.html#unique-entry-id-389</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c4778df0f2a1caf496e3329dd3827b58-389.html#unique-entry-id-389</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Estimates are 4-6000 taxonomists worldwide, 30-40000 amateurs that are involved in a professional way, plus an unknown number of citizens that are interested in natural history.   Moreover there is a mismatch between the potential for web-based taxonomy and the technological and management resources available. 

...Scratchpads specifically enable community efforts and allow data to be uploaded and tagged in an intuitive way. 

...Functionality that I personally like are modules for bibliography, image galleries, phylogenetic trees, character matrices (under development), distribution maps. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>EDIT General Meeting</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-16T14:30:32+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b18639940f7f86bebf7ab41e6b7d34f7-388.html#unique-entry-id-388</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b18639940f7f86bebf7ab41e6b7d34f7-388.html#unique-entry-id-388</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Science comprise of different subcultures, which lead to &rsquo;trading zones&rsquo; when it comes to interdisciplinarity and collaboration (co-operative or coerced / homogeneous or different groups). 

...This user-centered innovation processes are to be preferred, where users = innovators: they want to make something they can use (opposed to manufacture-centered processed systems designed to sell).


Christophe Ha&uuml;ser stressed the role of field work, gathering data in such a way that they are captured in a digital way, stored according to protocols and shared with the community, thereby eliminating the need to gather the same data again and again. 

...So let&rsquo;s see what comes out of it one year from now when the EDIT programme comes to an end.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>News on old papers</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-15T11:26:37+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7f0a3925381884d5d245b649f4648475-387.html#unique-entry-id-387</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7f0a3925381884d5d245b649f4648475-387.html#unique-entry-id-387</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My last two papers that appeared in Zoologische Verhandelingen and had not yet been included in the Naturalis Repository, were added today.


These are my 1978 paper with notes and descriptions (ZV 164) and my 1979 thesis with a revision of the Bulimulinae (ZV 168).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>EDIT meeting</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-15T09:54:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/93e187afb4ea37c809d1c6a10e0600bb-386.html#unique-entry-id-386</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/93e187afb4ea37c809d1c6a10e0600bb-386.html#unique-entry-id-386</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week, EDIT will have its General Meeting from 15-17 December in Portugal, Carvoeiro. ...  After the General Meeting a one-day Training Course on Scratchpads will be given.


As one of the representatives of Naturalis I will travel today to Portugal and join the General Meeting tomorrow.   Hope to learn the basics of Drupal mastering during the Training Course on Thursday. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cyclodontina again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-14T07:35:01+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/982446a2830d4d01fb01d2f09dfc0e50-385.html#unique-entry-id-385</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/982446a2830d4d01fb01d2f09dfc0e50-385.html#unique-entry-id-385</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In reaction to this post, Gabriela Cuezzo sent me another picture of a Cyclodontina that she recently took in Argentina, Missiones, just across the border of Brazil.


...This species strongly resembles C. fusiformis (Menke, 1828), which is only known from Brazil and was recognized by Ignacio Agudo on the photograph (re-figured below).


...Gabriela&rsquo;s picture clearly shows the sculpture of strong axial striae; the lower-hand figure is too unclear to be decisive about this feature.


Of course, it could be a striking case of vicariance that one species (fusiformis) lives only on one side of the river and another (guarani) on the other side. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (80): Bulimulus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-11T07:25:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cbb557da5bbb725770e6583b9622dfdd-384.html#unique-entry-id-384</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cbb557da5bbb725770e6583b9622dfdd-384.html#unique-entry-id-384</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Bulimulus is one of the most inconspicuous genus groups in the Orthalicidae.   Always corneous, always more or less the same size and shell shape. 


Here is a picture of a living B. inconspicuus Haas, 1949, taken by Grace Montalv&aacute;n at Peru, Dept. ...  However, it clearly may be identified by the white line bordering the suture.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (3): Plectostylus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-10T20:37:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a1a40014b5a23552684a1ad8dd88071-383.html#unique-entry-id-383</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a1a40014b5a23552684a1ad8dd88071-383.html#unique-entry-id-383</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Continued from last month, today the radula of Plectostylus coquimbensis (Broderip, 1832) from Chile, Coquimbo.   Radula formula: C/1 + L16/1 + M56/3. 


From top to bottom, left to right: overview, showing half row; C+L1; teeth 18 (M2); teeth 56-57 (M40-41); teeth 30-31 (M14-15); teeth 44-53 (M28-37); teeth 27-34 (M11-18).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (78): Leiostracus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-08T21:01:17+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e719cc7a6d85987a792a33082bd64c34-382.html#unique-entry-id-382</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e719cc7a6d85987a792a33082bd64c34-382.html#unique-entry-id-382</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another species from the same area as the previous post, is Leiostracus perlucidus (Spix, 1827).


The ID is by Ignacio Agudo.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (79): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-09T20:52:56+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4667697596e5edfa85f7705aeb69d4e9-381.html#unique-entry-id-381</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4667697596e5edfa85f7705aeb69d4e9-381.html#unique-entry-id-381</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another picture from the Panoramio site, this time from the Argentinan side of the river.   The snail is Drymaeus interpunctus (Martens, 1887). 


The classification of this species is slightly uncertain, usually placed in Drymaeus (Mesembrinus), but some give this subgenus generic status.   The ID was made by Ignacio Agudo.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (77): Cyclodontina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-07T20:07:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cbeb1bd4f7a19e2cf15ade8943dcbd27-380.html#unique-entry-id-380</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cbeb1bd4f7a19e2cf15ade8943dcbd27-380.html#unique-entry-id-380</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A while ago, some snail photographs were posted by Andrew Vik on Panoramio, the site that links to places in Google Earth.   Here is one of them, Cyclodontina fusiformis (Menke, 1828) from Foz do Igua&ccedil;u in southern Brazil, also occurring across the border in Argentina and Paraguay. 


The ID was made by Ignacio Agudo and posted on the Conch-List, kindly brought to my attention by Gijs Kronenberg.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Simulated shells</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-04T08:45:48+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0e120027ab5ee5a5a64af720275614cd-379.html#unique-entry-id-379</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0e120027ab5ee5a5a64af720275614cd-379.html#unique-entry-id-379</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In this work, we have shown that a single neurosecretory model can replicate both the growth of mollusk shells and the enormous diversity of pigment patterns they exhibit. ...  A noteworthy feature in this model is that the same network architecture operates in both the spatial and time directions because the pigment patterns develop sequentially as the mantle lays down periodic increments of shell and pigment. ...  In general, waves propagating through a 3-dimensional neural network (e.g., a cortical column) have this same property: Local excitation/lateral inhibition extends laterally, as well as back- wards in space from where the excitation came, which is essentially backwards in time.


We now start to understand how mollusks may arrive at the bewildering variety of shapes and how variation within a taxon may occur. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chilean acavid</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-02T20:13:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d16915819227bc1842f48e2a37baeb5d-378.html#unique-entry-id-378</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d16915819227bc1842f48e2a37baeb5d-378.html#unique-entry-id-378</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And in Chile, where the  genus Macrocyclis occurs with its sole species M. peruvianus (Lamarck, 1822). 


...Although it is commonly known as the largest snail in the Chilean land snail fauna, its anatomy was hitherto unknown. 

...It was founds after a hard day of searching, under fallen logs near the vicinity of Lago Azul.


...Macrocyclis peruvianus (Gastropoda, Acavidae), an endemic land snail from Chile. - Iheringa, Zoologia 99(2): 125-128.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Colloquium</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-01T20:25:53+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c54368bdaa70eeddd1b58c6ae99f0e4-377.html#unique-entry-id-377</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c54368bdaa70eeddd1b58c6ae99f0e4-377.html#unique-entry-id-377</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Richard Palmer today did a colloquium at Naturalis on Development and evolution of morphological asymmetries - A role for natural history.


...But developmental plasticity - the same genotype yields different forms in different environments - may be a much more important source of new forms than generally recognized.


The absence of heritable variation for direction of asymmetry in species that show a random mixture of asymmetric forms (i.e., equal numbers of right- and left-handed forms), identifies a unique phenotype - "direction of asymmetry" - for which there is no genotype.&nbsp;   A wide-ranging survey of asymmetry variation within and among species of animals and plants offers some of the strongest evidence to date for a 'phenotype-precedes-genotype' mode of evolution.&nbsp; ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Through the looking glass</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-30T19:25:59+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b721b32619aa7b7f842f659dbcd87839-376.html#unique-entry-id-376</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b721b32619aa7b7f842f659dbcd87839-376.html#unique-entry-id-376</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The absence of heritable variation for direction of asymmetry in species that show a random mixture of asymmetric forms (i.e., equal numbers of right- and left-handed forms), identifies a unique phenotype - "direction of asymmetry" - for which there is no genotype.   A wide-ranging survey of asymmetry variation within and among species of animals and plants offers some of the strongest evidence to date for a 'phenotype-precedes-genotype' mode of evolution.   In addition, the tendency of many animals to learn (e.g., handed behavior) may facilitate both the origin and the amplification of right-left morphological differences via developmental plasticity. 

...Edi Gittenberger eloborated &bdquo;A very unlikely event&rdquo;, in which he showed that although e.g. sinistrality is not rare in Japanese land snails, this can be traced back to three evolutionary events. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New blog</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-27T17:11:32+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/973495e9f20b8591ae75c6bb9b9d1ae5-375.html#unique-entry-id-375</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/973495e9f20b8591ae75c6bb9b9d1ae5-375.html#unique-entry-id-375</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Modest Correoso, malacologist in Quito, has started his own blog on Ecuadorian land snails.   As he is a Cuban by origin, he is posting from time to time also on the Cuban malacofauna.


Welcome to the malacoblogosphere!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Florida Liguus populations</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-03T21:10:38+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0b5c73358b024ad017cbff4850ced10-374.html#unique-entry-id-374</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0b5c73358b024ad017cbff4850ced10-374.html#unique-entry-id-374</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The study examined the past and present spatial distribution of the Florida tree snail, L. fasciatus solidus, in the Long Pine Key area of the Everglades National Park. ...  Collection and survey-based data were used to create a current spatial distribution map of L. fasciatus solidus throughout the Long Pine Key area. ...  The data was used to determine the success of L. fasciatus solidus from 1931 to 2006, to evaluate a correlation between hammock size and the number of color forms, and to detect migration patterns of L. fasciatus solidus within the Long Pine Key area of Everglades National Park. 

...These percentages can only be the worst case scenario based on the fact that many Liguus were not observed, and any others that would have been observed, would only increase the success rate.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Naming and other things</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-26T19:44:46+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/91946744637d7514775aa8d665ec5778-373.html#unique-entry-id-373</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/91946744637d7514775aa8d665ec5778-373.html#unique-entry-id-373</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The first paper by Van Gemert & Van Leeuwen describes the jubilees of the Netherlands Malacological Society during the past 75 years and the way some of its members have been honoured.


In another paper, Van Gemert gives a survey of the members of the Board and of the editors of the NMV journals.


In the third paper, Kronenberg gives a list of all eponyms of NMV members or persons related to them.   As he correctly says, the easy way of placing -i, -ae, -orum or -arum behind the person(s) name is too often followed. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (2): Discoleus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-25T09:34:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce8be241f33eb80fd8443b185b926fce-372.html#unique-entry-id-372</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce8be241f33eb80fd8443b185b926fce-372.html#unique-entry-id-372</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In my series Lost and found, today the hitherto unfigured radula of Discoleus ventanensis (Pilsbry, 1896).   As the name says, it originates from Argentina, Sierra de la Ventana.


From left to right, top to bottom: interaction, detail of central, central + laterals 1-5, detail of L2, L6-10, L10-18, L19-30 and L30-33.


All pictures, also in the rest of this series, have originally been made by Simon Ploeger.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and snakes</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-24T08:14:01+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b6050e2d15e83028da54c7e1b39699ac-371.html#unique-entry-id-371</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b6050e2d15e83028da54c7e1b39699ac-371.html#unique-entry-id-371</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the last newsletter of Unitas Malacologica (available from their new address), a brief report is presented by Ignacio Agudo on snail-eating snakes in southern Brazil. 

...There are five species mentioned as prey for these reptiles: several veronicellid slugs - Belocaulus angustipes (Heynemann, 1885), Phyllocaulis soleiformis (d&rsquo;Orbigny, 1835) and     Sarasinula linguaeformis (Semper, 1885) -, an orthalicid tree snail - Mesembrinus interpunctus (Martens, 1887) and the invasive Bradybaena similaris (F&eacute;russac, 1821).


One of the reported snail species is Dipsas indica Laurenti, 1768, the common name of which is Neotropical snail-eater. 

...Snail-eating snakes of southern Brazil region and their alimentary preferences. - Unitas Malacologica Newsletter 28: 11-12.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>NMV75</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-22T21:30:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/181576a9d028675ce9bbc9ac4462505b-370.html#unique-entry-id-370</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/181576a9d028675ce9bbc9ac4462505b-370.html#unique-entry-id-370</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Yesterday the Netherlands Malacological Society had its third meeting to celebrate its 75 years of existence.   We have a tradition of making group photographs of these meetings.   Here is the one taken yesterday in Naturalis, thanks to our Board member Jan Johan ter Poorten.   He counted 108 members present.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>IUCN Red List</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-23T14:26:38+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1df2dbdea223760e10607e5e1158d01b-369.html#unique-entry-id-369</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1df2dbdea223760e10607e5e1158d01b-369.html#unique-entry-id-369</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Comparing the total number of molluscs in any of the IUCN categories with the data from last year, showed that there is an increase of five taxa in the Bivalvia and 89 in Gastropoda. 

...94 more species added to bring the total of assessed species up to 2306. 

...When I recently spoke to an insider, he said &bdquo;the IUCN isn&rsquo;t interested in invertebrates at all. 

...If true - and I have little reasons to doubt that my spokesperson was wrong - it is the death-blow to mollusc conservation efforts. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tools for cybertaxonomy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-20T16:27:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1301cf9f6bd759d0cb21a90802edc6c8-368.html#unique-entry-id-368</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1301cf9f6bd759d0cb21a90802edc6c8-368.html#unique-entry-id-368</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, tools and the right choice of them is utterly important to have good results and easy interchange of compatible data. 


EDIT has a special programme (WP5) that is devoted to cybertaxonomy and a special page that presents an overview of tools: Biodiversity Service & Application Tracker. 


Software is divided both in type (applications, data) and in categories (from bibliography to taxonomy).   In several categories there are recent additions, but an option is present to receive RSS feeds.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cuban limestone mogotes</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-19T20:45:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bfee22053a82c6180acdc145934dd2fa-367.html#unique-entry-id-367</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bfee22053a82c6180acdc145934dd2fa-367.html#unique-entry-id-367</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently a faunal list was published (Oliva-Olivera & Real, 2009) for those of the Parque Nacional Vi&ntilde;ales, in the western province of Pinar del R&iacute;o.


From the  ca. 1300 species known from the island, the authors list 136 species for this national park occurring at 12 limestone hills. 

...Although currently there is only a printed version available, the paper will also appear online at the site of the journal.


...Moluscos terrestres de las elevaciones c&aacute;rsticas de Vi&ntilde;ales, Pinar del R&iacute;o, Cuba. - Revista Biologia Tropical 57: 589-604.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicid radulae (1): Bothriembryon</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-17T19:27:41+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c1844d68752140a3533e7a5d5f04fd10-366.html#unique-entry-id-366</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c1844d68752140a3533e7a5d5f04fd10-366.html#unique-entry-id-366</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This weekend I cleaned up a bit in my house and found a tray with several hundreds of SEM photographs of radulae, arranged according to different species.


Since only a small part has actually been published in the past (viz. my Zoologische Verhandelingen 164 [1978] and 168 [1979]), I think it is worthwile to grab from time to time some from this tray and put them up here.


It is astonishing to see that the quality of those old machines and analog photographs still is very comparable to those from modern equipment and which are digitally processed.   The biggest difference is that modern machines are easily operated (I recently did myself, but that is something for a future post) and results can be swiftly processed.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another rare paper</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-13T20:29:33+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6b1638e1ed5625f1878139d32c05ecb8-365.html#unique-entry-id-365</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6b1638e1ed5625f1878139d32c05ecb8-365.html#unique-entry-id-365</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the context of the recent post on climate and snails, I received a copy of a very rare paper, although the author sounded familiar: the geographer and archeologist Alan Craig. 

...Dealing with land snails in archaeological sites, my interest was raised by the paragraph  on thanacocoenosis, or the massive accumulation of shells in certain areas.   Referring to the case of Bostryx near Antofagasta, Chile (described here), Craig also mentions the massive occurrence of dead snails on the summit of Cerro Reque near Chiclayo, Peru. 

...Craig suggests that aestivating snails on Tillandsia are carried from one 'lomas' area to another when the plants are "tangled in the fleece of guanacos". ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (76): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-09T18:46:34+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a11046a762ded8d0acae6a5dcb46297-364.html#unique-entry-id-364</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a11046a762ded8d0acae6a5dcb46297-364.html#unique-entry-id-364</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Drymaeus meets Bulimulus....   These are photographs of Drymaeus dormani (Binney, 1857) together with the Bulimulus species found in Florida, Jacksonville earlier reported on. 


Many thanks to Bill Frank, who sent me these pictures.


Update: more pictures of this Drymaeus here and here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Coloniconcha</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-06T19:19:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7af85913e756a2bfc9affc3e73dceae1-363.html#unique-entry-id-363</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7af85913e756a2bfc9affc3e73dceae1-363.html#unique-entry-id-363</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In an earlier post I mentioned a remarkable species from Hispaniola, Coloniconcha prima Pilsbry, 1933. ...  Pilsbry originally had assumed that this species was close to Polydontes, which is placed in the Pleurodontidae by Schileyko (2006). 


...Whether the family has to be called Pleurodontidae sensu Schileyko or Camaenidae sensu Cuezzo (2003) remains a matter of debate. 


...Phylogenetic analysis of the Camaenidae (Mollusca: Stylommatophora) with special emphasis on the American taxa. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 138: 449-476.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Migration problems</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-05T13:37:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b508a1aa660c84818efd70b1025db569-362.html#unique-entry-id-362</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b508a1aa660c84818efd70b1025db569-362.html#unique-entry-id-362</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Due to technical problems my blog hasn't been updated for a few days.   I apologize to those of you who regularly check the updates.   Also I noticed that some posts have been mixed up.   Working on the fixes, stay tuned...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Taxa (19): Araucocharopa</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-11-02T19:44:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/082c7663792a05717824cda5b90263f7-361.html#unique-entry-id-361</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/082c7663792a05717824cda5b90263f7-361.html#unique-entry-id-361</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another one is now added by Sergio Miquel and Francisco C&aacute;diz Lorca.   It is a small species belonging to the Charopidae. 


After a careful comparison with other genera from the same family occurring in Chile, Argentina and Brazil, the authors have come to the conclusion that this novelty belongs to a new genus. 

...Araucocharopa gallardoi gen. et sp.n. de Charopidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Stylommatophora) del sur de Chile. - Revista Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales, n.s. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and climate</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-30T19:50:53+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d6c7e0c2786d81f92f494da30241234d-357.html#unique-entry-id-357</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d6c7e0c2786d81f92f494da30241234d-357.html#unique-entry-id-357</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Indeed, there is reference in literature about climatic variability along the Chilean and southern Peruvian coast (Garreaud & Battisti, 1999; Vargas et al., 2006), due to the El Ni&ntilde;o phenomenon. 


...Hesse & Baade (2007) pointed out that an alternative explanation for the loess formation could be the fog vegetation occurring in coastal Peru and Chile (Garreaud et al., 2008).   The occurrences of floods and debris flows has been recorded for the Ilo region in southern Peru (Keefer et al., 2003), but it may have also occurred in the Nazca region.


...And although the evidence provided in literature points to floods and debris flows as a possible factor, more detailed research is needed to understand the mechanism of carination at play here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A rare paper</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-28T19:05:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b0f4c791abe45b380d93b035c362d2da-356.html#unique-entry-id-356</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b0f4c791abe45b380d93b035c362d2da-356.html#unique-entry-id-356</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During the preparation of an upcoming paper on Hispaniola, I found it listed but failed to be able to locate it in any library.


...He said it was present in their library and Samatha Edelheit, librarian, was so kind to send it by snailmail.


...He listed 277 taxa, which are treated by Wetherbee & Clench in the Appendix to present-day species. 

...Catalog of the terrestrial and fluviatile mollusk fauna of Hispaniola, and an history of early Hispaniolan malacology: i-iv, 1-89. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (76): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-27T16:58:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a621a07226d1ea78857231d05136cb6d-355.html#unique-entry-id-355</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a621a07226d1ea78857231d05136cb6d-355.html#unique-entry-id-355</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Bostryx radiatus (Morelet, 1863) was collected near Ollantaytambo, Dept.   Cuzco, Peru by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n.   These are some pictures that he took while the animals were at his home.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (75): Hemibulimus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-29T09:58:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/83fe0bac2f4bbcd5a1da8a340b06909f-354.html#unique-entry-id-354</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/83fe0bac2f4bbcd5a1da8a340b06909f-354.html#unique-entry-id-354</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is a specimen of Hemibulimus dennisoni (Reeve, 1848).   When you compare it to the picture that was posted previously, the greenish colour of the Zingara specimen is remarkable. 


According to Andr&eacute;s Quintaro - who kindly sent me the photograph - the shell is grown with algae.   Possibly when the periostracum erodes away during the snail&rsquo;s life, the shell surface becomes rugged enough for algae if the circumstances are right.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (74): Rhodea</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-26T22:05:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fdf1971531fc2442b53c61971dbd3743-353.html#unique-entry-id-353</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fdf1971531fc2442b53c61971dbd3743-353.html#unique-entry-id-353</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Grego et al. (2007) published a review in which they (re)described 9 species and gave details on their distribution.   Most species are known from old material only and it may be concluded that Rhodea is a rare find nowadays.


Andr&eacute;s Quintaro recently found these specimens of R. gigantea Mousson, 1873 during field work in Valle del Cauca, near Laguna Calima. 


...Review of the genus Rhodea (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Subulinidae), with description of two new species from Colombia. - Basteria 71: 13-28.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (73): Labyrinthus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-23T07:36:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9f3096a39899e04cde373b45a6de277a-352.html#unique-entry-id-352</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9f3096a39899e04cde373b45a6de277a-352.html#unique-entry-id-352</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another species from the same locality, R&iacute;o Arabela in northern Peru, is this Labyrinthus raimondii (Philippi, 1867).


These photographs are also by courtesy of Grace Montalv&aacute;n.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (72): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-22T07:51:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/43dcf35a87ddab51b7529b7cb3a051bb-351.html#unique-entry-id-351</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/43dcf35a87ddab51b7529b7cb3a051bb-351.html#unique-entry-id-351</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another species that Grace Montalv&aacute;n collected near R&iacute;o Arabela in northern Peru is Plekocheilus (Eurytus) superstriatus (Sowerby, 1899).   Although the field of depth of these photographs is not excellent, I&rsquo;m happy to show them here, as these are also the first pictures showing the living animal.


When you compare it to the pictures from yesterday, you will see a marked difference in the body colour.   Unfortunately this snail too didn&rsquo;t survive very long after being collected.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (71): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-21T20:35:41+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1d5037379bdab988883f77009daa66c7-350.html#unique-entry-id-350</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1d5037379bdab988883f77009daa66c7-350.html#unique-entry-id-350</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today some pictures of a wide-spread species, Plekocheilus (Eurytus) floccosus (Spix, 1827).   As far as I know, these are the first pictures showing the living animal.   The specimens were found in Peru, near R&iacute;o Arabela.


Unfortunately, the snails died after being collected by Grace Montalv&aacute;n, who also made the photographs.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snail diversity in the Neotropics</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-19T21:00:04+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8df12fe3c8bced8e9376bf4b660513fd-349.html#unique-entry-id-349</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8df12fe3c8bced8e9376bf4b660513fd-349.html#unique-entry-id-349</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For an upcoming publication a picture of the snail diversity in a number of countries in Central and South America has been prepared.


The large dots show the total number of land snails (grey dots) and Orthalicidae (black dots) in each of the selected countries (from left to right: Costa Rica, Panama, French Guiana, Suriname, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Brazil).


At present, only the regression line for the Orthalicidae is significant, but a recent paper shows that defining a Species-Area Relationship is more than &ldquo;just the functional relationship between species number and area&rdquo; (Williams et al., 2009). 


The figure above still serves the pupose to illustrate my argument that snail diversity in Peru is relatively higher than in other countries. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>E-publication and SCI</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-20T22:26:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a54e9c00151f67b0defb88b94b184c9e-348.html#unique-entry-id-348</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a54e9c00151f67b0defb88b94b184c9e-348.html#unique-entry-id-348</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Until now publication of a new name is only valid if the paper is also printed on paper and distributed to a number of institutions. 

...Taxonomists are stimulated to perform &ldquo;high profile research&rdquo; (alpha-taxonomy being &lsquo;sooo 20th century...&rsquo;) and only publications in &ldquo;high-ranking SCI journals&rdquo; are being seen as useful. ...  While in some science departments journals are being trashed after 10 years, their contents being totally irrelevant, taxonomic publications will stay useful and remain so since 1758.   Some &lsquo;managers&rsquo; fail to grasp this fact and unless they manage to change the Code or make taxonomy obsolete in other ways, impact factors should be treated in a different way.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (70): Isomeria</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-16T21:57:39+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0dac8b1d19745532f45fcdf09bc1b875-347.html#unique-entry-id-347</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0dac8b1d19745532f45fcdf09bc1b875-347.html#unique-entry-id-347</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Andr&eacute;s Quintaro kindly sent me some new pictures of Colombian land snails and I&rsquo;m happy to share them with you.


This is Isomeria oreas (Koch, 1845) and was photographed in Dept.   Tolima, near Filandia.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (69): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-15T08:42:44+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e789e61c6e4e42b4fc12b8d9deb38f4f-346.html#unique-entry-id-346</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e789e61c6e4e42b4fc12b8d9deb38f4f-346.html#unique-entry-id-346</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ra&uacute;l Castro Zea, living in Venezuela near Caracas, was lucky enough to obtain a few specimens of Drymaeus. 


This is a species that is quite variable, both in shell shape and in colour pattern. ...  It may be called D. menkei (Gruner, 1841), which is the oldest available name I could find for it. ...  The species is known from various places in northern Venezuela.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Science as a lottery</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-14T20:11:30+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7023457fdd56fafcc6a96ee45c8caa89-345.html#unique-entry-id-345</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7023457fdd56fafcc6a96ee45c8caa89-345.html#unique-entry-id-345</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&ldquo;Student should be curious, driven and excited enough about science that it is what they might choose to do were they to [do] win the lottery&rdquo;. ...  Yes, I know that it is hard for scientists to find a proper job and, yes, it is sometimes a matter of good luck to have an application being granted. 

...An hour later I incidentally found the paper of Lawrence (2009) and then I realized: it is becoming more and more a lottery!   What started out many years ago as a way to stir up competition between scientists, has become a rather perverted system. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (68): Epiphragmophora</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-08T18:36:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/17d0d601de0ec36c83dd2afcbd042452-344.html#unique-entry-id-344</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/17d0d601de0ec36c83dd2afcbd042452-344.html#unique-entry-id-344</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[From that same area originates this one, a species belonging to Epiphragmophora.   Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n - who also supplied these pictures - and I think it may be E. claromphalus (Deville & Hupe, 1850).


A picture of a possibly related species was sent by Antoine Cleef.   He had received it from a botanical student, doing fieldwork in the area of Moquegua, west of Lago Titicaca; it is well above 4000 m. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (67): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-07T21:05:25+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/426bddea36f61193cb936d5d7639b988-343.html#unique-entry-id-343</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/426bddea36f61193cb936d5d7639b988-343.html#unique-entry-id-343</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All available shell shapes are represented in this genus, from discoid, to globose to slender and turrited.   The latter shape is e.g. found in the Bostryx spiculatus-complex which occurs in Dept. 

...Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n sent me some pictures that he took of living specimens during a recent trip to that area.   One in the natural habitat, another in the lab on the move (both pictures are enlarged).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (66): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-05T07:27:59+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6cfe5a12572e905eecb806973972c037-342.html#unique-entry-id-342</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6cfe5a12572e905eecb806973972c037-342.html#unique-entry-id-342</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The more I see them, the more I think that the living animal has characteristics that are also of morphological and systematical value to the taxonomist.   Here you see Bostryx turritus (Broderip, 1832), photographed at Catzcal. 


You can see that the animal is rather translucent, with the black optical nerves shining through the body.   One could wonder what the evolutionary benefit would be?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (65): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-02T13:40:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d7a8207b37e27912270a5ccb187932fd-341.html#unique-entry-id-341</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d7a8207b37e27912270a5ccb187932fd-341.html#unique-entry-id-341</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another species spotted by Alexander von B&uuml;lding.   This time from near Jo&atilde;o Pessao, State of Paraiba, Brazil.


The closest guess I can make on the basis of these photographs, is Drymaeus papyraceus (Mawe, 1823).   This species is  well-known from north-eastern Brazil.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (64): Anostoma</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-30T08:12:39+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a4e016862335a5b2e9b247f59aede79d-340.html#unique-entry-id-340</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a4e016862335a5b2e9b247f59aede79d-340.html#unique-entry-id-340</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is a picture of a shell that was presented as a gift to Alexander von B&uuml;lding. ...  The shell is badly worn, its original colour totally disappeared.   It is an Anostoma, probably rossi Weber, 1925.   But it always difficult to base your judgement on a picture, especially if the angle of viewing is different from what you need.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DNA: from field to lab</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-29T07:16:43+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f3bfa65eb4905cc2bba537b3946ae18d-339.html#unique-entry-id-339</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f3bfa65eb4905cc2bba537b3946ae18d-339.html#unique-entry-id-339</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The wet collections of museums are often not suitable, either because samples have been fixed in formalin or because they may have stayed in alcohol 70% for too long.   But many times, it remains unclear why one sample doesn&rsquo;t yield any DNA while seemingly similar ones give fair to good results. 


...To test this assumption we have started at Naturalis an experiment with 32 combinations of killing and conservation methods. 

...Hopefully, this experiment will make clear which combination results in the best DNA yield, given the limitations when in the field.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>ACvB80: again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-28T21:19:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5c051f43688f7da6a2d879f2c0017205-338.html#unique-entry-id-338</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5c051f43688f7da6a2d879f2c0017205-338.html#unique-entry-id-338</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On Saturday, the Dutch Malacological Society held a special meeting to celebrate the 80th birthday of Dr. 

...A number of presentation were given, of which I like to mention especially Edi Gittenberger&rsquo;s one on left- and right handedness in snails. 

...Since the celebrator of the jubilee had received his Festschrift already on his birthday, it was necessary to have another gift for him.   In the end, we decided to make a bibliophile edition of the Festschrift.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DNA barcoding</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-25T17:10:47+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f4bf0783af74e083e9d102d3455956f7-337.html#unique-entry-id-337</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f4bf0783af74e083e9d102d3455956f7-337.html#unique-entry-id-337</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As basis of the study the CO1 sequences deposited in GenBank were used; this test set represented 129 species, including a number of Neotropical species (Orthalicidae, Polygyridae). 

...- optimum threshold value is 4%, but with an error rate of more than 30%; it is therefore recommended that barcoding is backed-up by phylogenetic methods and conventional taxonomy.


...- relatively many (> 25) samples of each species are needed if barcoding is to be effective, due to the rather extreme divergence of CO1 in land snails.


...Another important conclusion of this study is the recommendation that barcoding should be part of a suit of methods, including traditional morphological taxonomy, to study the intra- and interspecific variation in land snail species.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (63): Huttonella</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-23T07:32:36+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/232bb64878a3899edffc872f695e8220-336.html#unique-entry-id-336</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/232bb64878a3899edffc872f695e8220-336.html#unique-entry-id-336</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Bill Frank sent in some excellent pictures that he took of Huttonella bicolor (Hutton, 1834).   He found these specimens when re-visiting the site where he had collected the (hitherto) mysterious Bulimulus species.


Since this is a tiny species, he considered himself lucky to see it amongst the debris. 

...H. bicolor was already known from Florida, but it is hitherto unknown how far north the species already has spread up the East Coast of the USA.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (62): Megalobulimus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-21T18:35:08+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c037e38e6c4bec1c373c3fd0b859912-335.html#unique-entry-id-335</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c037e38e6c4bec1c373c3fd0b859912-335.html#unique-entry-id-335</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Two pictures of Megalobulimus species were sent to me by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n.   Both species were found in the area near Tingo Maria, Dept. 

...M. maximus (Sowerby, 1825)


These are really king-size snails...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>On the move</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-18T19:44:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cfc2c5572bcc29f3c3d3e9b5f49deefd-334.html#unique-entry-id-334</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cfc2c5572bcc29f3c3d3e9b5f49deefd-334.html#unique-entry-id-334</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A few more videos of the Thaumastus species recently reported on.   They show not only some details of the animal, but also the behaviour of tilting the head.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>30 Million</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-17T19:02:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3f56e6ee888900a9f9eaab85d9977e12-333.html#unique-entry-id-333</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3f56e6ee888900a9f9eaab85d9977e12-333.html#unique-entry-id-333</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That is the amount of money allocated to the new Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity (NLCB), which will be formalized at the beginning of 2010. 

...The money is part of the budget of the Ministry for Education, Culture and Science and will be spread over the next five years. 

...However, there are several more steps to make before the museum as a new, enlarged organisation can open up its doors of the new building, probably in 2015.   Although it may be wise to have a &lsquo;plan B&rsquo; given the financial situation of the government in the coming years, it surely is a hopeful sign of the current priority for taxonomy and biodiversity in the Netherlands.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (61): Orthalicus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-15T20:35:15+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/325556b60bb594ccc6c49502943a7ffe-332.html#unique-entry-id-332</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/325556b60bb594ccc6c49502943a7ffe-332.html#unique-entry-id-332</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A second species of Orthalicus was found by Alexander von B&uuml;lding in the same area.


With the same stipulations as made yesterday, my opinion is that this picture shows O. prototypus (Pilsbry, 1899).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (60): Orthalicus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-14T20:39:08+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eb78e3ba07d67de2625afaa89c41bb84-331.html#unique-entry-id-331</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eb78e3ba07d67de2625afaa89c41bb84-331.html#unique-entry-id-331</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Pisbry, one of the giants in malacology, writes on this group: "The group is undoubtedly difficult on account of the general similarity and the frequent occurrence of parallel or convergent variations in stocks of different areas". 

...Therefore, I should be modest in my opinions, as this group - nearly 80 years later - still needs a revision. ...  Given the variation in shell morphology (especially colouration), many names have been introduced which taxonomic status is uncertain.&nbsp;


...South American land and freshwater mollusks: notes and descriptions, VII. - Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 82: 355-365.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (59): Thaumastus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-09T20:26:26+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51563368595aa90997c567e04b0a05fa-330.html#unique-entry-id-330</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51563368595aa90997c567e04b0a05fa-330.html#unique-entry-id-330</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Giovanni Cuno Tisalema found this nice specimen of Thaumastus thompsonii (Pfeiffer, 1845) near Gualaceo, Prov.   Azuay, Ecuador.


The pictures and the video show nicely the colours of the animal (yellowish with darker lines dorsally, and a blackish mantle).


The video may be found on YouTube, if you follow the link.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New phylogenetic data</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-07T20:06:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fb807fd7048d3b647d70ce352a254ab6-329.html#unique-entry-id-329</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fb807fd7048d3b647d70ce352a254ab6-329.html#unique-entry-id-329</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While there is an ongoing debate the role of bioinformatics and the species concept (see here and below), the number of sequences of Neotropical land snails in GenBank grows slowly. 

...It describes an analysis of three species of the Orthalicidae, Bostryx scalariformis, B. sordidus and Scutalus versicolor, based on the 16S rRNA mitochondrial marker. 

...Both the tree in Neighbour-Joining (left) as Maximum Parsimony (right), and the analyses using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference (not shown here), show the orthalicoid genera as a closely related group.


...But OTOH, Hyam's approach just doesn't click with me when I think about
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Southern Brazilian snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-10-09T10:46:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b46f0f8f6660cb2a3994b193a2ced310-328.html#unique-entry-id-328</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b46f0f8f6660cb2a3994b193a2ced310-328.html#unique-entry-id-328</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This newsletter, which is issued a few times per year, is a not-so-apparent journal for information on Neotropical land snails.


Although it may be useful to have records for species per state, it would even be more useful if precisely localities would be published. ...  After all, a state may seem a small area when you map it on the scale of a big country like Brazil, from a snail&rsquo;s perspective it&rsquo;s still a huge area.


...New malacological records from Paran&aacute; State, Southern Brazil region, with a general synthesys of current knowledge - Ellipsaria 11 (1): 11-13.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The death of a snail</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-09-05T21:43:29+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e4f4623173868c148d86f85307c409f1-327.html#unique-entry-id-327</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e4f4623173868c148d86f85307c409f1-327.html#unique-entry-id-327</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The second of my living Plekocheilus snails became totally inactive and didn&rsquo;t react any more to gentle probing. 

...The interesting thing is to see how the animal discoloured after I put it in alcohol 70%.   Its beige coloured body when alive, turned  grayish while the alcohol showed a yellowish hue.   Apparently the body colour dissolved, but I can&rsquo;t remember to have seen that before when preserving snails; a quick search in Scholar didn&rsquo;t return any useful hits. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Visiting an expert</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-27T21:09:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/01c96fb274a01625167ba54576d3a115-326.html#unique-entry-id-326</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/01c96fb274a01625167ba54576d3a115-326.html#unique-entry-id-326</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We met some years ago during a meeting of the Dutch Malacological Society, when he gave a presentation on Placostylidae from the Solomon Islands.


...First he was interested in marine snails only, afterwards he became more and more involved with land snails too. 

...We also discussed the first part of his upcoming publication on the land snails of the Solomon Islands. 

...It was a pleasure to meet such an ardent collector, who knows the story behind the shells and knows how to kindle his audience with enthusiasm.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Alien snails and slugs</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-25T13:21:32+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/abc2b386f64e630eb355f2dce6f9b33d-325.html#unique-entry-id-325</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/abc2b386f64e630eb355f2dce6f9b33d-325.html#unique-entry-id-325</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although most may be introduced accidentally (Cowie & Robinson, 2003), if they are introduced these species can become problematic for e.g. agriculture, human health, the environment but may also endanger native species.


Cowie et al. (2009) just published a risk assessment for alien non-marine mollusc species that are of importance to the USA.   There procedure might be applicable in other countries and their results lists many species that are generally considered as pests. 

...The ranking of the Succineidae is remarkable as they are generally not considered as significant pests, but they are now frequently found with horticultural imports (Cowie et al., 2008).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (18): Plagiodontes</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-24T07:20:35+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/27cc7a2f278235942f3dfb86b05df61c-324.html#unique-entry-id-324</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/27cc7a2f278235942f3dfb86b05df61c-324.html#unique-entry-id-324</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently Piz&aacute; & Cazzaniga revised part of the genus and described a new species from Argentina, Prov. 

...Their paper describes very nice and in detail the anatomy of the taxon and compares it with known data of other small Plagiodontes species. 

...I&rsquo;m sure this paper will act as a cornerstone for future publications on this group and it contains very useful anatomical data. 

...A new species of Plagiodontes from Argentina, and new data on the anatomy of four other species in the genus (Gastropoda: Orthalicidae: Odontostominae). - Journal of Natural History 43: 1437-1471.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Type specimens and live specimens</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-21T16:12:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8b1da00c459325dba54f072131e0b0f4-323.html#unique-entry-id-323</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8b1da00c459325dba54f072131e0b0f4-323.html#unique-entry-id-323</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature states that &ldquo;where the holotype or syntypes are extant specimens, by a statement of intent that they will be (or are) deposited in a collection and a statement indicating the name and location of that collection&rdquo; (art. 

...For this reason, Dubois & Nem&eacute;sio (2007) and Nem&eacute;sio (2009) have argued for a rephrasing or amendment of the Code, making it obligatory to deposite preserved specimens of any taxon to be described.


...Having read the story of the Gal&aacute;pagos pink iguana, I could even refer to the *living* paratype in the paper indicating that it is in the lab of the museum where it will be deposited after its death. 

...Nem&eacute;sio, A., 2009: On the live holotype of the Gal&aacute;pagos pink land Iguana, Conolophus marthae Gentile & Snell, 2009 (Squamata: Iguanidae): is it an acceptable exception? - Zootaxa 2201: 21-25.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More publications</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-20T12:46:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e9f40cd6f667b8400b0e8abb4740026b-322.html#unique-entry-id-322</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e9f40cd6f667b8400b0e8abb4740026b-322.html#unique-entry-id-322</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, two have English summaries and those of you who regularly follow this blog will recognize the topics.


The first paper is my laudatio for Dolf van Bruggen during the celebration of his 80th birthday. 

...Hans Kuiper, one of the other Honorary Members of the Dutch Malacological Society (Photo: Ton de Winter).


The second paper is on the putty eating snails that I mentioned in this post. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Publications available</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-18T20:52:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6e0238f0b1433f31fde6460088b3bbaf-321.html#unique-entry-id-321</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6e0238f0b1433f31fde6460088b3bbaf-321.html#unique-entry-id-321</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My recent publications in the Festschrift for Dolf van Bruggen are now available online at the journal&rsquo;s website.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (8): J.J. Parodiz</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-19T21:45:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/90e68f56b80f9ea669796e199a0312d9-320.html#unique-entry-id-320</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/90e68f56b80f9ea669796e199a0312d9-320.html#unique-entry-id-320</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Charles Sturm has just published an extensive obituary and bibliography on this Argentinan malacologist, who spent many years in the USA.


...He left his position for organisational-political reasons and found a new job as curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittburgh. 

...Although I have personally met Parodiz during the Unitas Malacologica congress in Amsterdam in 1977, I have no vivid reminiscences of him (too many other things happened in the meantime).   My modest contribution to honour this Great Name in Neotropical malacology is to publish this picture taken during the Amsterdam congress.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Gringo ghost Bulimulus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-17T20:04:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dcfe06157c6fb67e42934de7deecfa91-319.html#unique-entry-id-319</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dcfe06157c6fb67e42934de7deecfa91-319.html#unique-entry-id-319</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After my recent post on Bulimulus species in the USA, I received a link to the site of Bill Frank and Harry Lee. 

...As Bill wrote to me, &ldquo;Thus far the snails have only been found in a very small area (about 3 x 5 meters) in an industrial area in the old core city of Jacksonville next to a major rail line and a factory often visited by trucks. ...  I kept the living snails in captivity for several months but nobody showed an interested in having them or preserved specimens for study so I euthanized them and just retained the empty shells. 

...Until I have specimens at hand, I do not dare to give a name to these creatures (remember, they are all smallish and brownish...). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Google more with maps</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-14T19:06:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f8d7ff6e4c684258b3518a6bab17b492-318.html#unique-entry-id-318</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f8d7ff6e4c684258b3518a6bab17b492-318.html#unique-entry-id-318</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The trick is very simple: build a KML file for the locality data and put


...the full text of a KML file which will plot 3 localities for species X -


...You can also open a .kml file on your own computer in the Google Earth


...With the satellite view (= GE) you see the area but not much details (until the data are refreshed, but these unpopulated areas are likely to be the last ones in row).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Congresses to come</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-13T20:57:03+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/109103772886d3781997ee8ffe3c2198-317.html#unique-entry-id-317</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/109103772886d3781997ee8ffe3c2198-317.html#unique-entry-id-317</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It seems that the organizers have tried to outperform the Antwerp congress by increasing the number of symposia (currently there are 13 themes listed). 

...Most themes are so specialized, that it is difficult to imagine how you could fit a topic to them outside the selected themes.   And you must really have something done recently (I guess, preferably not yet published but close to submit as a paper) to be allowed.


...Another interesting congress will be the VI Southern Connection Congress, uniting researchers related to Australia, Africa and South America. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Visitor in the lab</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-12T21:10:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8fc1165fb1bd704f99bb44ac5ae4a1c0-316.html#unique-entry-id-316</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8fc1165fb1bd704f99bb44ac5ae4a1c0-316.html#unique-entry-id-316</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Quite some extra visitors this week in our labs and one of them is Dr Ira Richling (University of Kiel, Germany).   I have been in contact with her because we share a common fav group: Neotropical snails.


...Due to time shortage, she took notes on interesting things and found some alcohol preserved material that she took for further studies.


...There she observed this genus quite common as a &lsquo;garden snail&rsquo;, with two species represented on the campus in San Jos&eacute;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another Bulimulus introduced in USA</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-11T08:15:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f317243b861ab1b7e3e1d7b428dd767d-315.html#unique-entry-id-315</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f317243b861ab1b7e3e1d7b428dd767d-315.html#unique-entry-id-315</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[David Robinson sent me last week some pictures of a Bulimulus species that had been found in Texas at the site of a stone and marble importer, with a request for further identification.


...Further investigation led to the conclusion that this population originates from Brazil, where it has been reported from Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul.


...Bulimulus tenuissimus puellaris (Reeve, 1849) was reported by Robinson & Slapcinsky (2005) from North Carolina, Wilmington.   In Florida, B. guadalupensis is spreading slowly northward and two other species have been intercepted by USDA officers. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (58): Columbinia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-10T21:43:08+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2ffc1f7d6d4d75eede3796e1144382d4-314.html#unique-entry-id-314</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2ffc1f7d6d4d75eede3796e1144382d4-314.html#unique-entry-id-314</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today a picture of a clausiliid species, that Andr&eacute;s Quintero found while doing field work in Filandia, Dept.   Quindio, Colombia.   It is Columbinia columbiana (Polinski, 1924).


Thanks Andr&eacute;s, for sharing this picture.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Florida Liguus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-07T21:26:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c42cf39b7deb5c9869061b897b2d60f-313.html#unique-entry-id-313</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c42cf39b7deb5c9869061b897b2d60f-313.html#unique-entry-id-313</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Aguero sent me links to his work on Florida Liguus.   The first is a gallery, picturing many of the colour forms present at different hammocks in Florida and on different tree species.


But Juan also has his own blog, on which he reports his trips in the field to make the nice photographs shown in the gallery.   One thing is clear: besides snails you will readily find some mosquitoes. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (17): Charopidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-06T10:25:13+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9bd5d5a1fc0227f5fc36841d6bb78056-312.html#unique-entry-id-312</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9bd5d5a1fc0227f5fc36841d6bb78056-312.html#unique-entry-id-312</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the same issue of the Archiv, a paper was published by Sergio Miquel and Gary Barker about punctoid shells. 

...The first record for the genus Lilloiconcha in Chile, is L. aysensis n.sp. from Prov. 

...Interestingly, the charopids from this area have close relatives in New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea.   Further anatomical and phylogenetic research may shed light on these relationships and on the biogeographical processes behind it.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (16): Spiraxidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-05T20:10:06+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/71599d0187f2e63a3b8811244bf35f0b-311.html#unique-entry-id-311</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/71599d0187f2e63a3b8811244bf35f0b-311.html#unique-entry-id-311</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This species occurs near Orizaba and C&oacute;rdoba in Veracruz and only very few specimens are known.


Another poorly known species, recorded for the first time from Oaxaca, is Streptostyla (Eustreptostyla) nicoleti nicoleti (Shuttleowrth, 1852).


...V. hadra n.sp. is described from Oaxaca, 12 km NW Bethania (UF 423105) and V. elegans n.sp. from the same state on the northeast shore of Presa Miguel Aleman (UF 337226).


...Five landsnails of the family Spiraxidae from southeastern Mexico (Pulmonata: Spiraxidae). - Archiv f&uuml;r Molluskenkunde 138: 63-70.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sweeping tails and turning shells</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-04T23:01:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4eb766f49ba5e03a1ed6542d2cf3cb0c-310.html#unique-entry-id-310</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4eb766f49ba5e03a1ed6542d2cf3cb0c-310.html#unique-entry-id-310</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Andr&eacute;s Quintero sent me a very short video that he made some years ago while doing field work in Filandia, Dept. ...  The video was shot during the night and it shows a specimen of Drymaeus flexuosus (Pfeiffer, 1853).   It remains at the same place while moving his body vigorously, sweeping his tail and turning his shell. 

...Although these stills are somewhat out focus, the complete video (MP4, WMV) shows clearly the behaviour in a convincing way.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Peruvian malacologists</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-03T21:30:02+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3b49cdb4214f196c1db9765539f76b36-309.html#unique-entry-id-309</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3b49cdb4214f196c1db9765539f76b36-309.html#unique-entry-id-309</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, after the proof was corrected, we found reference to additional - marine - malacologists in a paper on Peruvian biodiversity challenges (Tarazona et al. 

...In the latest edition of Coan et al. (2009) we found the following additions: Dativa Beltran Rodr&iacute;guez, V&iacute;ctor Camacho, Bertha Fern&aacute;ndez Padilla, &Aacute;ngel E.   Fl&oacute;rez B., Rosa Hern&aacute;ndez, Hernando de Macedo, Javier Ort&iacute;z de la Puente, Julia Rodr&iacute;guez, Pedro Ver&aacute;stegui Mackee, Salm&oacute;n Vilchez Murga and Felix Woytkowski.    We could add the upcoming generation of students and others interested in molluscs, e.g.: Federico Gutierrez, Edgar Meza Figuero, Grace Montalvan Naranjos, Carlos Rivero. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>ACvB80: mission completed</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-09T16:55:29+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4218de9d443ece39e4b6d0fc7d02380a-308.html#unique-entry-id-308</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4218de9d443ece39e4b6d0fc7d02380a-308.html#unique-entry-id-308</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today the project &ldquo;ACvB80&rdquo; was finished with the publication of Zoologische Mededelingen 83 (3-21).


It is the Festschrift for Dr A.C. van Bruggen on the occasion of his 80th birthday.   Of the 12 malacological papers, two deal with Neotropical snails.


...Well nearly so, because there will be a special meeting of the Dutch Malacological Society for this occasion on 26 September.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another Blue Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-06T21:34:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/028cad79556991ec61924bb7ae487aa5-307.html#unique-entry-id-307</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/028cad79556991ec61924bb7ae487aa5-307.html#unique-entry-id-307</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is a blue trait going around in Caribbean Drymaeus, about which I have written here and before.   Now I have evidence that the Blue Drymaeus clan extends into the mainland.


...The blue trait is thus present in de Cordillera de la Costa, and I wonder how far east and west it extends.   If you have any observations on these &ldquo;Blue Boys&rdquo;, I&rsquo;ll be happy to be informed.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>(Ir)regular feeds</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-04T13:19:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f989d5c5650247b85ff5b4717292da17-306.html#unique-entry-id-306</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f989d5c5650247b85ff5b4717292da17-306.html#unique-entry-id-306</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Summer is taking shape here in Holland, although for the next week the forecast is less good.   Anyway, my feeds to this blog will be less frequent during the coming period.   No problem for my regular readership, I&rsquo;ve added a RSS feeder.


...Click &ldquo;A Snail&rsquo;s Blog&rdquo; and add the resulting link to the subscriptions in your favorite RSS Reader. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (57): Hemibulimus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-03T21:59:38+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/03386b6c740efc405e5da7f7f12c64b6-305.html#unique-entry-id-305</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/03386b6c740efc405e5da7f7f12c64b6-305.html#unique-entry-id-305</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Colombian land snails are relatively poorly known (although I&rsquo;m working hard to have a paper ready later this year).   Therefore, I&rsquo;m really glad that Andr&eacute;s Quintero Angel sent me some pictures that he made in the field.   Today a photograph of the orthalicid Hemibulimus dennisoni (Reeve, 1848).


...Andr&eacute;s, many thanks for sharing this picture with us.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (56): Porphyrobaphe</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-02T12:58:44+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/354043473d260cc03beb8c846c128191-304.html#unique-entry-id-304</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/354043473d260cc03beb8c846c128191-304.html#unique-entry-id-304</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This photograph of Porphyrobaphe iostoma (Sowerby, 1824) was taken by Modest Correoso.   This is a species that occurs in western Ecuador.   The picture was, however, not taken in the natural habitat.


Modest, many thanks.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Old literature - revisited</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-01T08:58:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1a6342c0407b8f6e299e5601ef4c6a60-303.html#unique-entry-id-303</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1a6342c0407b8f6e299e5601ef4c6a60-303.html#unique-entry-id-303</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It has been a while ago that I wrote on the Biodiversity Heritage Library and how it can change the access to literature.


When I looked it up earlier this week, I was positively surprised to see the change the site has made.   Not only their holdings on molluscan literature has grown to 605 titles (some of them multi-volumes ones), the quality of the text has also been greatly improved.


The is also a large number of periodicals available, some of them rarely found, even in the a good museum library.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>100 Qs to bridge the gap</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-30T07:30:27+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/deb6dda68f0910b639914342d96f8ce2-302.html#unique-entry-id-302</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/deb6dda68f0910b639914342d96f8ce2-302.html#unique-entry-id-302</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sutherland et al. (2009) have addressed this gap and set up a process to identify scientific questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on conservation practice and policy.


...The resulting 100 questions are divided into 12 sections: ecosystem functions and services, climate change, technological change, protected areas, ecosystem management, organizational systems and processes, societal context and change, and impacts of conservation interventions.


...The first question certainly seems relevant to me: &ldquo;Do critical tresholds exist at which the loss of species diversity, or the loss of particular species, disrupts ecosystems functions and services, and how can these tresholds be predicted?&rdquo;.


...If you have time to look at the video of his lecture at the Stockholm Resilience Center in 2007 (54&rsquo;, also available as audio file), you certainly should do. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Climate change and tepuis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-29T20:57:33+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3269fe94d7708cbb2d06d6e35286a097-301.html#unique-entry-id-301</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3269fe94d7708cbb2d06d6e35286a097-301.html#unique-entry-id-301</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[By modeling the shift of the biotas due to temperature rises of 2 and 4 degrees, they calculated the effects on the vascular plants.   Evidence is provided that up to 45% of Pantepui species may be endangered with extinction due to habitat loss before the end of the century, if the temperature rises with 4 degrees. 


...The ecological ties between plants and snails may turn out unfavorable for the snails, given the fact that they are only occurring on the upper part of the tepuis and these communities are bound to be affected. 

...Modeling biodiversity loss by global warming on Pantepui, northern South America: projecting upward migration and potential habitat loss. - Climatic Change 94: 77-85.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Open Taxonomy again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-26T20:12:24+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c9840ee6cb28954cc795962a0b62ea4-300.html#unique-entry-id-300</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7c9840ee6cb28954cc795962a0b62ea4-300.html#unique-entry-id-300</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We might have to realize, however, that these tasks are aimed (IMHO) at the high-end of the potential target group, i.e. those people who already have a keen interest in 'taxonomy' and biology (although they might not realize it or might call it differently).&nbsp;


In my view, there could be at least two other groups that have potential as targets, albeit they will have to be approached in a different way.


...They need to be either stimulated to&nbsp;link&nbsp;their&nbsp;skills&nbsp;to&nbsp;biological specimens or the biology component need to be 'wrapped' in such way that recognize it as something reasonable to do.


...Ordinary people without any interest in biology, but offered some special tasks in the context of e.g. a game; also&nbsp;the&nbsp;example&nbsp;of&nbsp;Captcha&nbsp;could&nbsp;be&nbsp;such&nbsp;a&nbsp;context.&nbsp;
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Florida Liguus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-25T22:04:35+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ecad06339c7ca2b65fd6fa69ec7d61fe-299.html#unique-entry-id-299</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ecad06339c7ca2b65fd6fa69ec7d61fe-299.html#unique-entry-id-299</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Thomas Watters has published a very useful book on Annulariidae a couple of years ago and when I looked him up on the internet, I found out that the Ohio State University Museum (OSUM) at Columbus has part of their site dedicated to Florida Liguus.


...Today, the term hammock is used in Florida to describe forest habitats that are typically higher in elevation than surrounding areas and that are characterized by hardwood forests of broad-leaved evergreens.   Tropical hardwood hammocks occur in south Florida and along the Florida coastlines where danger from frost is rare and tropical trees and shrubs common to the Caribbean islands (West Indian origin) are able to survive. (source: Karim & Mean, 2004)


...What makes the museum collection important, is the availability of material collected in the beginning of the previous century when human &ldquo;development&rdquo; hadn&rsquo;t spread out as far as it is today. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and spiders (4)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-24T21:35:06+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/90d85f6011dd5afcd63ab5a24deab359-298.html#unique-entry-id-298</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/90d85f6011dd5afcd63ab5a24deab359-298.html#unique-entry-id-298</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes snails and spiders are difficult to disentangle.   While some species mimic spider behaviour, some fellows might find themselves trapped in a web. 


Here are some Blaesospira echinus infernalis unlucky to have this fate.


The picture is courtesy of Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>On taxonomy again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-23T20:10:32+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7cc6c37f92f12410ef826dd3eaf58978-297.html#unique-entry-id-297</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7cc6c37f92f12410ef826dd3eaf58978-297.html#unique-entry-id-297</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I must admit that I had never heard of it, before Peter Hovekamp send around this link pointing to an interesting short note of Seifert, Crous & Frisvad on impact factors of taxonomic journals.


One of the factors influencing the decline of taxonomy is the low ranking in the statistics that are used for the SCI-ranking of journals and the H-ranking for authors. 

...&ldquo;The principle is to ensure that common elements of taxonomic papers, generally considered de facto citations by taxonomists but not by ISI, are presented in a format that is considered a valid citation by ISI&rdquo;. 

...That is not so simple as it may seem, as the original ISI-coverage was rather arbitrary (including e.g. the Journal of Conchology), while leaving out similar journals (e.g. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (55): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-22T09:10:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9806fb66068a79976a7c32a115b740a4-296.html#unique-entry-id-296</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9806fb66068a79976a7c32a115b740a4-296.html#unique-entry-id-296</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Adams, 1850), that he made in 1988 when on a trip to Jamaica, St. 

...So far, photographs show that this blue trait is present in several taxa in West Indies, but also in at least one in South America. ...  I suspect that more species with blue-bodied animals turn up, sooner or later.   The interesting question is then, how to explain this distribution of the blue trait within this genus?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A putty eating snail</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-19T22:09:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/15ad5c3f13538d95f645e0b9f24414de-295.html#unique-entry-id-295</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/15ad5c3f13538d95f645e0b9f24414de-295.html#unique-entry-id-295</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In my &lsquo;malaco-terrarium&rsquo; in the lab I have not only Plekocheilus, but since last week also some specimens of Cepaea nemoralis (L.).   Quite unexpectingly, I observed a strange phenomenon: these snails are wolverines!


I expected them to feed on algae and on the &lsquo;malaco-mix&rsquo; described here.    But earlier this week I catched one feeding on  reusable putty (also known under the brand name &lsquo;Blu-Tack&rsquo;).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>LifeDesks</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-18T10:09:36+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dd8f6fbf4f71b6f83b421508b2d18e4c-294.html#unique-entry-id-294</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dd8f6fbf4f71b6f83b421508b2d18e4c-294.html#unique-entry-id-294</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Potentially this is a great tool and I hope that, in the end, it may contain all information that gives a relevant and accurate picture of this group. 

...It is a nuisance to do double work and to go through different learning curves; each site has its own way of navigating and managing. 

...This is part of the ongoing Encyclopedia of Life project, aiming at making taxonomy available to anyone at a click of your keybord. 

...If you feel you can make a useful contribution to document the biodiversity of Neotropical snails, please become a member of the team. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chimant&#xe1;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-17T19:27:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1ab52fa2c32db3fb9f4eff6cddeac18e-293.html#unique-entry-id-293</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1ab52fa2c32db3fb9f4eff6cddeac18e-293.html#unique-entry-id-293</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The geological expedition that went to the Chimant&aacute; massif last month, made this brief video that will give you an impression of their results and about the habitat of snails.


Inside the caves also snails have been found, belonging to the hydrobiids and yet to be described.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tepui snails again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-16T20:37:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2d7ab198d8a5973071f8efd60510ba58-292.html#unique-entry-id-292</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2d7ab198d8a5973071f8efd60510ba58-292.html#unique-entry-id-292</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[again, see previous post), it was assumed at first sight that this pattern on those dead leafs were the gnawing marks of radulas from these snails.


However, I found it hard to imagine that the snails would move so &lsquo;uncontrolled&rsquo; over these leafs to make such a pattern.   And if you really look in detail on the green leaf at the right-hand corner, you will see a similar pattern shining through the leaf.   My conclusion is thus that the snails may feed on e.g. algae but are not causing this pattern on the leafs.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A new blog</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-15T20:13:27+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ac683e5643127ab5205a2e224189ae8f-291.html#unique-entry-id-291</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ac683e5643127ab5205a2e224189ae8f-291.html#unique-entry-id-291</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Richard Goldberg sent out his Worldwide Shell Notes #1, containing a link to his recently opened blog which he called Art and Science of Nature.   When I looked it up, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it very relevant to Neotropical snails.


It contains some nice posts on a recent trip to Jamaica, with some video shots made traveling to rainy Dolphin Head. 

...When I asked Richard about this picture, he said that it was made under controlled conditions. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Restructuring taxonomy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-12T20:47:19+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/55d4113a0db22f65a56a2884bb788d55-290.html#unique-entry-id-290</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/55d4113a0db22f65a56a2884bb788d55-290.html#unique-entry-id-290</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The ultimate example would be a &lsquo;taxonomy game&rsquo; where the players from all over the world got playfully help to contribute to taxonomic work (and perhaps have some interesting time as well seeing the diversity of life). 

...The aim is to restructure the work done by biological taxonomists so that anyone, anywhere can contribute to a taxonomic project via the Web.


...You don't need either to do many of the basic tasks in taxonomy, like documenting and comparing specimens. 

...Open taxonomic projects will speed up those slower steps by linking busy, isolated specialists with online volunteer communities that are active 24/7.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New bibliographic tool</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-11T21:04:02+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8d0bf43ef2a3165e2981dd80d4674844-289.html#unique-entry-id-289</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8d0bf43ef2a3165e2981dd80d4674844-289.html#unique-entry-id-289</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is called Mendeley and it allows you not only to organize your literature, but also find new publications, share them with others who have the same interest and see trends based on statistics.   Besides a desktop client, it is also a tool that allows you to have your own library anywhere on the world at the click of your mouse. 

...Therefore, it might be preferable to import via EndNote or BibTex, if you have one of these (I haven&rsquo;t). 

...As with many new tools you have a considerable learning curve before it is really beneficial and enhances your productivity. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and bromeliads</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-10T22:04:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ff0a65d624a74cdc3ba604287076bcf1-288.html#unique-entry-id-288</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ff0a65d624a74cdc3ba604287076bcf1-288.html#unique-entry-id-288</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Charles Brewer-carias kindly sent me some observations on a Plekocheilus species that he found in southern Venezuela.   The species was found inside the rosettes of Brocchinia leafs, where the snails hide during day-time.   In the evening they become active and start feeding on the dead leaves of the plants.


The fact that the fresh leaves are not touched may be explained by the hard and waxed surface of these leaves. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Priotrochatella (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-08T14:51:23+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/60525d8696de0807315952d14adb1484-286.html#unique-entry-id-286</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/60525d8696de0807315952d14adb1484-286.html#unique-entry-id-286</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The three Cuban species all occur in the northern part of Isla de Pinos, on isolated calcareous hills.   This is the map from Clench & Jacobson (1970; reference see previous post), and gives a more or less schematic impression of the situation in the early 1930s. 


...It may be noted that these species are highly restricted in range and habitat and easily meet the criteria for Critically Endangered of the IUCN Red List.   As I have repeatedly argued before, it is a serious omission that so few land snails are included on this List. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (54): Priotrochatella</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-05T19:12:33+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cca3f71fae5c69bc156b03e406baab5d-285.html#unique-entry-id-285</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cca3f71fae5c69bc156b03e406baab5d-285.html#unique-entry-id-285</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[More on the ecology and conservation of these species in a later post. 

...The genus is also known from Jamaica, where two species occur: P. josephinae (C.B. ...  On Gary Rosenberg&rsquo;s site on Jamaican landsnails, I found a picture of P. pulchra and it also shows the shell amidst moss and lichens, perfectly camouflaging itself.


...The genus Priotrochatella (Mollusca: Helicinidae) of the Isle of Pine and Jamaica, West Indies. - Occasional Papers On Mollusks 3 (39): 61-80.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (53): Callonia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-04T20:15:38+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/afb7691b11396bb5862fcb39e44649f5-284.html#unique-entry-id-284</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/afb7691b11396bb5862fcb39e44649f5-284.html#unique-entry-id-284</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez is doing his best to turn me from a specialist in Orthalicidae into an ardent lover of Cuban land shells...:-) Look at these pictures of urocoptids.


...The picture above is Callonia ellioti (Poey, 1857), characterized by the upward pointed axial ribs. ...  According to Jaume & de la Torre (1976) this species is characterized within the genus by the last whorl not being solute and not having pointed axial ribs. 

...Does it suffice to say that I like to have the best of both worlds? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (52): Liguus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-03T20:51:44+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4304bf1fc7655a24ca7d31f23a2b9f83-282.html#unique-entry-id-282</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4304bf1fc7655a24ca7d31f23a2b9f83-282.html#unique-entry-id-282</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After my post on Cuban Rapid Assessments reports, Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez kindly pointed out to me that the new record in one of those reports for Liguus fasciatus from the Cubitas area, wasn&rsquo;t in fact any news but had been mentioned before in literature [reference to be added].


These pictures are Liguus fasciatus crenatus (Swainson, 1821) from this area.   Besides being a devoted malacologist, Adri&aacute;n is a very skillful photographer to whom I like to give full credits.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book review: Correoso</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-02T19:27:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d764b10668fb23a8570cf23289ad9fc4-281.html#unique-entry-id-281</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d764b10668fb23a8570cf23289ad9fc4-281.html#unique-entry-id-281</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The following chapter presents a more elaborate characterization of the families of land snails, their habitat, ecological importance, experiences with rearing under laboratory conditions, geographical distribution and occurrence in Ecuador. 

...From a scientific point of view, there are several points which could be improved; e.g. not all literature mentioned in the text is included in the list of references and there are several typos. 

...The author has spent many years to gather all the data and made field observations that are worth to be included in a book like the ones for Cuba or Brazil (see literature).   Despite lack of funds and difficult conditions (the production of the book took several years!), it is thanks to the perseverance of the author that this book has finally resulted.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Online publication (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-01T10:00:19+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8f5429fcf604096ad389ed6bb216f5aa-280.html#unique-entry-id-280</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8f5429fcf604096ad389ed6bb216f5aa-280.html#unique-entry-id-280</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today a paper was published which may possibly be seen as a milestone in online publishing of taxonomic works (Miller et al., 2009a). 

...While the future of taxonomy seems with online publication, there is much debate about it and more and more taxonomists have a preference for journals that are freely accessible (Penev et al., 2008).   Until now, however, an example was lacking following a clear framework and tackling some of the remaininbg stumble-blocks (e.g. the poor quality of GBIF data). 

...This model provides a good methodology for online publication, while assuring at the same time that the data are of high quality and freely accessible.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (51): Proserpina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-28T22:05:37+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7eed0dc14d37d8305e14393244d4481a-279.html#unique-entry-id-279</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7eed0dc14d37d8305e14393244d4481a-279.html#unique-entry-id-279</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The thread on Cuban land snails is continued today with some pictures that I received of Proserpina. ...  The species of the Greater Antilles were revised by Boss & Jacobson (1975a), who published also a catalogue of all taxa of the family (1975b).   They wrote &ldquo;Proserpina and its allies constitute a unique group of prosobranch land snails in that they have lost the characteristic operculum, have developed apertural lamellae, and have a mantle that may extend and envelop the shell&rdquo; (Boss & Jacobson, 1975a: 53).


...Wonderful snails to see and the interesting fact is that Adri&aacute;n noted that two different morphs were encountered. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (15): Idiostemma</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-27T21:28:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/df770ebfd8bdbe048df8d6b88303db4d-278.html#unique-entry-id-278</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/df770ebfd8bdbe048df8d6b88303db4d-278.html#unique-entry-id-278</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In my series on new taxa introduced to the Neotropical land-snail fauna, I still have to catch up with some &ldquo;oldies&rdquo;.   Today a paper by Franke & Fern&aacute;ndez (2007), who described a new urocoptid species from Cuba, Prov. 

...Although all pictures in the paper are black/white, some of them are nicely picturing the habitat of this new taxon.


...A new land snail of the genus Idiostemma Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1898 (Gastropoda: Urocoptidae) from Eastern Cuba. - Schriften zur Malakozoologie 23: 79-86.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Online publication</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-25T14:48:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3014c45541749e0e80ea2fb7f47f99c8-277.html#unique-entry-id-277</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3014c45541749e0e80ea2fb7f47f99c8-277.html#unique-entry-id-277</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[His paper argues that biodiversity data should be published online, but that &ldquo;scientists&rsquo; concerns about these efforts have not been answered and initiatives to motivate scientists to comply have been inadequate&rdquo;.


...And that&rsquo;s one of the main points of Costello&rsquo;s critique: many primary data, which were gathered using public funds, are not available through data centers for further research and several other benefits that are listed in his paper.


...There are several useful suggestions made in his paper to motivate people for online publication, e.g. to stimulate the use of giving credit to authors who upload data, to facilitate the use of tools (such as Scratchpads) and requirements by funding agencies. 


...To name a few of the remaining stumble blocks: quality checking, involvement of scientific amateurs (who also generate primary data) and to re-think the business model that sustains now many societies that issue scientific journals. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (50): Orthalicus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-22T19:28:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e015f45a5f8fb3f605f3c8422f2d1d7a-276.html#unique-entry-id-276</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e015f45a5f8fb3f605f3c8422f2d1d7a-276.html#unique-entry-id-276</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This Orthalicus ponderosus Strebel & Pfeffer, 1882 originates from Mexico, Jalisco, Punta P&eacute;rula area and was captured on logs of Dalbergia retusa when imported in the USA. 


Photos taken by Eric McDonald, courtesy of David Robinson.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Molluscan radiation and landscape evolution in Amazonia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-21T16:02:08+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6c9c89975966c6587d7a9ecacb49748b-275.html#unique-entry-id-275</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6c9c89975966c6587d7a9ecacb49748b-275.html#unique-entry-id-275</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I will mention briefly here the work of Frank Wesselingh, as his thesis* is related to the Neotropics.


His research centered on the Pebas formation in eastern Peru and northwestern Brazil and relates to the freshwater molluscs found as fossils. 


...Studying the snails, he found many new species and some new genera (see references in Wesselingh, 2008; or his personal page at Naturalis). 

...This is highly relevant, also to land-snails, as it may provide evidence about e.g. the connections between the Andes and the Guayana Shield.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Malacophagy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-20T19:52:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/13b1b820a39a9761e2eb207163066999-274.html#unique-entry-id-274</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/13b1b820a39a9761e2eb207163066999-274.html#unique-entry-id-274</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In my garden there is a little pond, one of the edges is partly overgrown by Hedera.   Frogs are continuous inhabitants and in springtime the tadpoles are a favourite prey for one of the neighbour&rsquo;s cats (someone said that they might get high on them).   But this afternoon, my son saw how three tadpoles started to feed on an unlucky Cornu aspersum that felt off the Hedera plants into the water.


...I picked it up and laid it on the edge and grabbed my camera to take pictures.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (49): Plectostylus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-19T18:59:24+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/37105ec26313cb53a3443fd4f792d9a2-273.html#unique-entry-id-273</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/37105ec26313cb53a3443fd4f792d9a2-273.html#unique-entry-id-273</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Imagine that you see a mossy tree stem from some distance.   Would you spot the snail on it?   Certainly if you are so near as where this picture was taken of Plectostylus variegatus (Pfeiffer, 1842).


This photograph was taken in January 2009 by Ad Hovestadt in Chile, Coquimbo, south of La Serena, Parque Nacional Fray Jorge, in cloud forest.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rearing snails in the lab</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-18T16:41:24+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/989a95f14de7b3c6f72407d63c3982e4-272.html#unique-entry-id-272</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/989a95f14de7b3c6f72407d63c3982e4-272.html#unique-entry-id-272</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Using a glass vial and lid, the bottom is now covered with paper and I added a twig of Laurus nobilis to provide them with a place to shelter, just changed to today to Cornus sp. found in the Naturalis garden. 

...The biology of Liguus is rather well-known (details in Krull, 2006) and seems to me to be quite distinct from the Plekocheilus living on tepuis in a very humid climate. 

...All ingredients were blended and mold spores were added; then the resulting mixture was sprayed on the glass wall of the tanks that Liguus was kept.


...Pete Krull added in emails that &ldquo;the food mixture works well for any species that &lsquo;scrapes&rsquo; food from tree limbs, rocks or other hard substrate&rdquo;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rapid assessment in Cuba</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-15T11:30:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/23070e4ed30c20bc609c40bd223168cd-271.html#unique-entry-id-271</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/23070e4ed30c20bc609c40bd223168cd-271.html#unique-entry-id-271</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is the result of a joint Cuban-American assessment of the biodiversity in part of the province Camag&uuml;ey in east Cuba, the Sierra de Cubitas.


Malacology is but a small part of the results, for which field observations were made during four days in September 2002. 

...It is a new record for the Sierra de Cubitas and together with another new record for Steatocoptis bioscati, the total number of molluscs for the area is 50.


...&ldquo;Individuals of the four species were seen copulating with one another and I was able to determine that females always have a pattern of dark stripes on their shells, while the males have pale or dark shells without those stripes.&rdquo; ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and spiders (3)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-14T19:35:33+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e035b15c8d2b7344f75469732a44e890-270.html#unique-entry-id-270</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e035b15c8d2b7344f75469732a44e890-270.html#unique-entry-id-270</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Bristowe (1939-1941) considered malacophagy by spiders as an impossibility, due to the fact that shells and mucus were successfully defense mechanisms of gastropods.   Although even today some arachnologists are of the same opinion (De Winter, pers. comm.), there is now enough evidence to the contrary  (Nyfeller & Symondson, 2001; Pollard & Jackson, 2004). 

...It is probably this second role that was observed by Deeleman-Reinhold and mentioned in my first post on this subject.


...Weather and the use of empty gastropod shells by arthopods. - Annales de la Soci&eacute;t&eacute; Entomologique de France (n.s.) ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Colours&#x2c; Cuba&#x2c; Liguus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-13T21:48:10+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/adedab8a61dc964a3ab6158105995f2d-269.html#unique-entry-id-269</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/adedab8a61dc964a3ab6158105995f2d-269.html#unique-entry-id-269</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Or rather should I say: &lsquo;varieties&rsquo;, colour forms&rsquo; or &lsquo;subspecies&rsquo;, as Hillis et al. (1991) showed the various morphs can be grouped genetically into a limited number of species.


Last year a beautiful book was published on Cuban land-snails (Gonz&aacute;lez Guill&eacute;n, 2008); it was mentioned briefly in this and this post. ...  Many of these morphs are already extinct or highly endangered, due to the destruction of the mogotes for tourism (or economic &lsquo;development&rsquo;). 

...From left to right, top to bottom: Liguus fasciatus achatinus Clench, 1934; L. f. goodrichi Clench, 1934; L. f. torrei Clench, 1934; L. flammellus bermudezi Clench, 1934.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (7): W. Dunker</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-12T20:00:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2c718aa1a6275dcb79a7b07767cf2802-268.html#unique-entry-id-268</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2c718aa1a6275dcb79a7b07767cf2802-268.html#unique-entry-id-268</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although I&rsquo;m actually unsure about the total amount of Neotropical taxa in his work, I know that there are six papers bearing his name as an (co-)author in the bibliography of my revision of Bulimulinae (Breure, 1979). 

...&ldquo;Dunker&rsquo;s reputation as a distinguished conchologist grew along with his collection and soon material from all over the world was sent to him&rdquo;.   The Dunker collection comprised a large amount of type specimens is now part of the Museum f&uuml;r Naturkunde in Berlin. 

...Although the main part of the publication is on marine molluscs, I found the paper as such interesting as it is part of an ongoing project on type specimens in the Berlin museum (see also K&ouml;hler, 2007) and contains biohistorical data that were previously unpublished.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and spiders (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-11T20:42:10+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/845da41df4c1b695d8c6bf04ff260138-267.html#unique-entry-id-267</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/845da41df4c1b695d8c6bf04ff260138-267.html#unique-entry-id-267</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In reaction to my previous post, Adri&aacute;n Gonz&aacute;lez Guill&eacute;n sent me some pictures of Cuban land shells showing the same phenomenon.   According to him &ldquo;it&acute;s well known in several species of Annulariidae land shells of Cuba and for sure in the Caribbean islands. ...  The Landshells Paradise&uml; (2008) I mention this weird behaviour of land shells hanging their selves with a &uml;mucus rope&uml; create[d] by the animals, like something perhaps linked in the evolutionary history of that operculate snails species with predators, physiology or enviromental factors. 

...A very quick search in Scholar didn&rsquo;t reveal any relevant reference about mucous threads and snails, other than to marine and freshwater molluscs. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snails and spiders</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-07T20:05:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0ec582f9f2255de2de9fc6cc4d902af6-266.html#unique-entry-id-266</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0ec582f9f2255de2de9fc6cc4d902af6-266.html#unique-entry-id-266</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not about Neotropical snails today, but an observation made by Christa Deeleman in Malaysian Borneo when she collected spiders in the Gunung Mulu National Park.   Kneeling on the ground next to a vertical limestone slab, she noticed the presence of small objects suspended by thin lines to the slab surface. 

...In literature, one case has been reported from Madagascar where spiders used empty shells for resting and to hide their egg sacs (Fage, 1926). 

...A note on the ecology of West-Malaysian calcicolous snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Diplommatinidae, Cyclophoridae, Vertiginidae, Streptaxidae). - Malayan Nature Journal 53: 351-354.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A new book announced</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-05T21:39:54+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2bddcbd6e1926103c461f5f76bedf3ad-265.html#unique-entry-id-265</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2bddcbd6e1926103c461f5f76bedf3ad-265.html#unique-entry-id-265</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Books on Neotropical snails are scarce and additions are very welcome.   Modesto Correoso send me notice that - after a long production process - his book on non-marine snails of continental Ecuador has recently been published.


Awaiting further details on this new addition to the malacological library, I&rsquo;ll keep you posted once the copy ordered arrives on my desk.


...Here is a picture of the formal presentation of the book (the author at left).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Charles Johnson Maynard&#x27;s Cerion&#x27;s</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-04T19:33:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ffdcbcb5ba6ad5f78d265c6d31b07520-264.html#unique-entry-id-264</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ffdcbcb5ba6ad5f78d265c6d31b07520-264.html#unique-entry-id-264</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA["His work was marred by many inaccuracies of all kinds and his attempts towards a clarification of this complex problem dwindled as the years passed, ending in brief descriptions and eventually a sales catalogue with a few "new species" described.   In fairness to Maynard, however, the commercial side of his venture was not to gain profit for himself but to realize money to finance additional expeditions in quest of these mollusks in which he was so deeply interested. ...  Nevertheless, we owe much to Maynard for his early exploration of both the Bahama Islands and the Cayman Islands, as the specimens he collected are still the only materials available for study from many remote and inaccessible localities."


...It has to be said to Maynard&rsquo;s credit, that the type material of nearly all his taxa has been preserved is and is now mainly in the MCZ (Boston) and USNM (Washington). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A name is a name is a name?&#x2a;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-01T08:16:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1a90ab979e8d45d2fbb07813d02b7c12-263.html#unique-entry-id-263</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1a90ab979e8d45d2fbb07813d02b7c12-263.html#unique-entry-id-263</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Rumors say that the work of the ICZN Secretariat might be endangered in the (near) future by a lack of funds. 

...So a new business model might be necessary to enable continuation of this essential work.


...What will be the side effects of a change in business model related to new taxon names?


Another rumor popped into my mind, telling that new zoological names have been on offer to the best bidder. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (48): Scutalus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-30T20:41:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63a146d4b40c1df6a4f26d2f07d8b328-262.html#unique-entry-id-262</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63a146d4b40c1df6a4f26d2f07d8b328-262.html#unique-entry-id-262</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During the same trip to Huancavelica, mentioned yesterday, some species of Scutalus were collected. 

...The material is sitting on my desk, waiting to be identified.   They were collected at Mina Julcani near Ccochacasa, which is high up the Andes at 3850 m. 


An Epiphragmophora species was sympatrically occurring.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Peruvian slugs</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-29T19:41:57+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d4d3957774e856ab3dc586c22115f0a8-261.html#unique-entry-id-261</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d4d3957774e856ab3dc586c22115f0a8-261.html#unique-entry-id-261</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some weeks ago, Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n sent me some pictures of slugs that he spotted during a recent trip to Huancavelica. 

...&ldquo;Looks like a typical specimen of D. reticulatum (M&uuml;ller, 1774), but to be sure it is better to look at the anatomy&rdquo;.   Since the specimen was not at hand, I&rsquo;ll have to be happy with this identification.


...So we&rsquo;ll have to keep this as a Veronicellidae from Huancayo, unless someone steps up with a better idea.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>MegaLab</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-26T19:13:18+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/502b53f374a150e15704d7561f515ab5-260.html#unique-entry-id-260</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/502b53f374a150e15704d7561f515ab5-260.html#unique-entry-id-260</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All you have to do is to count the number and type of Cepaea nemoralis and C. hortensis.   When you add these data on the website, they are automatically compared with observations from the past (for Dutch records the collections of the Leiden and Amsterdam museum are used). 


...When I looked outside I found a number of snails in my backyard crawling on the vegetation. 

...When I entered the data on the site, it appeared that no observations had been made in the past within 5 kms of my house. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DNA protocols: from field to sequencer</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-24T21:27:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4bdc3cd030883724252547b1f93f5230-259.html#unique-entry-id-259</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4bdc3cd030883724252547b1f93f5230-259.html#unique-entry-id-259</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Especially the use of 'alcohol-proof' paper for labeling was not recommended by an expert, since this paper contains a very low concentration of formaldehyde (which in high concentrations destroys DNA).


Also there are some bad experiences mentioned with the niku-nuki method when applied to larger snails (the method was developed for smaller ones).   I need to do some further testing on that and see how we may optimize the method for animals of orthalicid size (often 2+ cm).


...This could be done with an extreme sharp knife and it was suggested that the snails could survive when the sample was small enough.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Competition and science</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-23T21:26:37+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/212d24829355169c6034c0104ba4c54a-258.html#unique-entry-id-258</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/212d24829355169c6034c0104ba4c54a-258.html#unique-entry-id-258</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The craziest thing I heard about in this context, is two groups within the same institute competing and closing their doors to avoid painstakingly that someone in the room next door might have a peek of what is on their computer screen...


...Giving the few resources available nowadays, both material and in human capacity, I would suspect a willingness to share forces and distribution of specimens. 

...One having more financial power, making it very hard for the others to get even helicopter transport and forcing them to do an 8-day march through hostile terrain. 


For me, this may be competition for the honour, but I consider it far from the scientific spirit that inspired many explorers of this continent.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Living snails (3)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-22T08:10:10+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0a9deb2815a46428a499ef3fe0d8c12b-257.html#unique-entry-id-257</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0a9deb2815a46428a499ef3fe0d8c12b-257.html#unique-entry-id-257</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Two of Hugo on my desk, from different angles.   One inside their &lsquo;home&rsquo;, where you can see the shape of the foot and the movement viewed through the glass.


After a suggestion from one of the visitors of the NMV-meeting, I have given Hugo and Marisabel a new home. ...  Should be a real improvement, don&rsquo;t you think?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Neotropical Helicinidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-21T19:01:50+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/da90039dc409a6709bf41638c27cad2f-256.html#unique-entry-id-256</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/da90039dc409a6709bf41638c27cad2f-256.html#unique-entry-id-256</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last week I found on the shelf with new publications in our library (refreshed every two weeks), a number of the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution; this journal is published by the Natural History Museum in Berlin.   The number - said to have been published in September 2008 - contains a paper by Ira Richling and Matthias Glaubrecht on types of Helicinidae in the collection of the Berlin museum. 


Being important as such, the authors have added in the introduction interesting information on various malacologists who contributed to our knowledge on Cuban land snails: Ludwig Pfeiffer (who signed his letters always with &ldquo;Louis&rdquo;), Johann Gundlach, Wilhelm Dunker, Felipe Poey and Eduard von Martens.


...The types of Neotropical Helicinidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Neritopsina) in the malacological collection of the Museum f&uuml;r Naturkunde Berlin: an annotated catalogue, with emphasis on Cuban land snails. - Zoosystematics and Evolution 84: 265-310.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (47): Epiphragmophora</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-20T14:48:28+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d6a50fb6a0c703003ea424c2325e3bb4-255.html#unique-entry-id-255</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d6a50fb6a0c703003ea424c2325e3bb4-255.html#unique-entry-id-255</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In reaction to this post, Gabriela Cuezzo sent me these pictures of a wonderful Epiphragmophora tomsici Fern&aacute;ndez & Rumi, 1984.


The pictures were taken at the type locality: Argentina, Catamarca, 20 km from Andalgal&aacute; on the road to Cafayate.


Thanks Gabriela!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>NMV75</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-18T20:19:06+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a0e50603fd6b554d40276ba83274e0f9-254.html#unique-entry-id-254</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a0e50603fd6b554d40276ba83274e0f9-254.html#unique-entry-id-254</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After the formal meeting, a special publication was presented called &ldquo;Schitterende schelpen en slijmerige slakken&rdquo; [Beautiful shells and slimy snails].   It contains 44 contributions highlighting different fields of malacology and illustrating the joy that people have in malacology, either as a hobby or - the happy few - as a professional. 

...In the afternoon a traditional &lsquo;contributions by members&rsquo; was held, in which members of the society can briefly show interesting things (usually shells), announce new developments or discoveries.   I showed &lsquo;Hugo&rsquo; and &lsquo;Marisabel&rsquo; and a brief part of the film Tepuy to give an impression of their natural habitat.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Living snails (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-17T18:10:33+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/53a520dd7b3285f9c36cdb65533a0778-253.html#unique-entry-id-253</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/53a520dd7b3285f9c36cdb65533a0778-253.html#unique-entry-id-253</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One is uniformly beige (slightly darker near the foot), the other has a darker dorsal stripe on the body and the ocular tentacles with darker tips.


Meanwhile I have come to the conclusion that they belong to a new taxon.   Just don&rsquo;t know yet if they are subspecifically or specifically distinct from Plekocheilus fulminans alticola Haas, 1955, occurring elsewhere in the area.   The species in this genus show a very interesting mix of characters at different localities. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (46): Epiphragmophora</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-16T21:31:41+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3db29e1f04948850a2ca3f29b1b41682-252.html#unique-entry-id-252</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3db29e1f04948850a2ca3f29b1b41682-252.html#unique-entry-id-252</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not being a specialist in this family myself, I asked to Gabriela Cuezzo if she dared to say what species it could be.   Always difficult to identify a shell on the basis of a picture only. ...  Additionally, she remarked: &ldquo;However, Epiphragomophora from Peru are very undocumented, especially when considering animals, not only shells&rdquo;.   Thus, I hope this kind of pictures help to document the Neotropical malacofauna.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (45): Corona</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-15T20:21:38+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cf4d645e52d68506a54d2c075b9e6989-251.html#unique-entry-id-251</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cf4d645e52d68506a54d2c075b9e6989-251.html#unique-entry-id-251</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today two species of Corona, which both live in the lowland rainforest in eastern Peru.


The first is C. pfeifferi Hidalgo, 1869 which is occurring in Dept. 

...The second picture is C. regina (F&eacute;russac, 1821), taken by Grace Montalv&aacute;n near Puerto Maldonado in Dept. 

...Many thanks to Valent&iacute;n for transferring the pictures to me.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Living snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-13T22:04:34+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fd4487e55fc0c95048bc0f6a62dd878d-250.html#unique-entry-id-250</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fd4487e55fc0c95048bc0f6a62dd878d-250.html#unique-entry-id-250</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Or rather, I had to pick it up myself in Assen (more than 5 hours by train, both ways). 

...One of them has a number of spiral stripes on the last whorl; I have named it &lsquo;Hugo&rsquo;.   The other has one, narrow spiral band but is otherwise elegantly dark brownish; I have named it &lsquo;Marisabel&rsquo;.


...I put him on the cucumber I had bought especially for my snails and seems to love it. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Guadeloupe living snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-14T07:29:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/81d2e474926ec9130259a8968e150419-249.html#unique-entry-id-249</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/81d2e474926ec9130259a8968e150419-249.html#unique-entry-id-249</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The report of Alain Bertrand, mentioned yesterday, contains several pictures of living snails.   You might see some familiar ones compared to those of Dominica, scattered throughout my previous posts.   And also in an upcoming paper.


I&rsquo;m grateful to Alain Bertrand, who kindly sent me information on his West Indian studies.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Divergent opinions</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-13T08:02:47+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1fb75ad9cbf060123f7b1cdaf9ddc80b-248.html#unique-entry-id-248</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1fb75ad9cbf060123f7b1cdaf9ddc80b-248.html#unique-entry-id-248</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I was primarily interested in the total number of taxa and the endemic species, it was a bit puzzling to cope with the different opinions.   The INPN-site only lists the taxa, which forced me to make some guesses, but generally the differences could be easily resolved.


A total of 50 species were counted (marked in bold), of which 12 are endemic to Guadeloupe (marked in yellow above). ...  Only taxa have been counted if they were listed by at least two of the three sources, unless recent collected material was present.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (14): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-10T09:27:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/60b8e52b856ec82a0699232ad4982b39-247.html#unique-entry-id-247</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/60b8e52b856ec82a0699232ad4982b39-247.html#unique-entry-id-247</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Finally, there is a peculiar species from the eastern tepui region, Plekocheilus (Eurytus) sophiae from Yuran&iacute;-tepui. 


The holotype is also in the Florida museum, UF 24413.   This is the single specimen currently known, but since it is so peculiar I ventured to describe it as a new species.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (13): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-09T08:26:06+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b30465f943bceb757229b968568a5393-246.html#unique-entry-id-246</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b30465f943bceb757229b968568a5393-246.html#unique-entry-id-246</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Two more new species, originating from the same Cerro de la Neblina expedition mentioned here.   It are congeneric, sympatric species of Plekocheilus (Eurytus).


...(E.) huberi, named after Otto Huber who as a botanist has devoted his career to the tepui area. 

...It is from the Cerro de la Neblina massif, which lends its name to this taxon.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (12): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-08T19:10:47+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0ee2f83a0535db58fc98eec955621d96-245.html#unique-entry-id-245</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0ee2f83a0535db58fc98eec955621d96-245.html#unique-entry-id-245</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A second new species from Venezuela Guayana is Plekocheilus (Eurytus) tepuiensis.   The holotype, and only specimen so far known, is a subadult.   However, the colouration and the sculpture of the last whorl sets it apart from all taxa previously described.


...The holotype is in the Leiden museum, RMNH 112031.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (11): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-07T07:50:09+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9fd15b8452efaefd6d82757a95d4ee1c-244.html#unique-entry-id-244</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9fd15b8452efaefd6d82757a95d4ee1c-244.html#unique-entry-id-244</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The first new species that I would like to mention from my paper on the tepuis from Venezuelan Guayana, is Drymaeus (D.) rex spec.nov.


...First of all, it is a tribute to the herpetologist Roy McDiarmid who has always paid attention to snails and who collected the types.   The epithet also refers to &lsquo;ruadh&rsquo;, an old word from Scottish Gealic which means red; it refers to the reddish apex that may be present in this taxon. 

...All type material was collected during the interdisciplinary expedition to Cerro de la Neblina in 1983-1987, led by Charles Brewer-Carias.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A new paper</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-06T17:37:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/58db7298812be8e1cc6c99bcbe332262-243.html#unique-entry-id-243</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/58db7298812be8e1cc6c99bcbe332262-243.html#unique-entry-id-243</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today my paper on a revision of the Orthalicidae from Venezuelan Guayana was published in Zootaxa. 


Later this week more on it.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Lost Paradise?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-05T10:42:07+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/05373c54e1dafda33f36e162160329d1-242.html#unique-entry-id-242</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/05373c54e1dafda33f36e162160329d1-242.html#unique-entry-id-242</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For the younger generation it may be difficult to imagine why it is so charming to see all the new journals on their stands in the library. 

...But I notice that when I really want to study a paper I tend to print it out; and I know I&rsquo;m not the only one doing it. 

...Especially taxonomists want to have access to the original source and often find themselves among piles of literature, sifting out the data they need for the paper under construction.


...Because sooner or later the library budget will be cut, printed versions will become unavailable and old volumes stored out of easy reach to economize on space. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Blue Drymaeus&#x2c; I presume?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-02T21:33:40+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/316a07e329144a1a7ea7f53273271286-241.html#unique-entry-id-241</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/316a07e329144a1a7ea7f53273271286-241.html#unique-entry-id-241</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Hiding themselves perfectly against the background, which can be handy when having a bright-coloured or yellowish shell and living in dense forests. 

...According to David, several other Drymaeus species in the West Indies have blue bodies. 

...I&rsquo;m still hunting for a picture of the shell, which has been collected by Carlos Rivera but has not yet turned up after his moving to a new house. 


BTW: according to rumors there is a club being formed, called &ldquo;Seekers of the Blue Drymaeus&rdquo;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (44): Sultana</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-01T09:10:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/58d8cbbb65d8a3183580195ec6efea45-240.html#unique-entry-id-240</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/58d8cbbb65d8a3183580195ec6efea45-240.html#unique-entry-id-240</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another photograph of a living snail, together with some pictures of a shell in the collection of Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n. ...  The &lsquo;variety&rsquo; or &lsquo;colour form&rsquo; vicaria Fulton, 1896 is pictured here.


The shell was collected by Federico Gutierrez in Peru, Dept. 

...Many thanks to Valent&iacute;n and Grace for making these beautiful pictures available here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ecuadorian snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-31T19:25:29+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0ff9ee49a0f7a6c4a2564e810520ca79-239.html#unique-entry-id-239</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0ff9ee49a0f7a6c4a2564e810520ca79-239.html#unique-entry-id-239</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He took some pictures at Rio Silanche Reserve, a patch of tropical lowland forest at 500 m elevation on the west side of the Andes.


It is always difficult to make an identification from a photograph only, especially if there only dorso-lateral views of the shell obscuring any details of the umbilicus, the shape of the aperture, possible dentition, etc.   On the other hand, it is extremely nice to have pictures of living snails. 

...With all the reservations you can expect from a scientist, the final judgement is that this is most probably Strophocheilus popelarianus (Nyst, 1845).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (43): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-30T21:01:15+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ea74b9d7b78dd6e8fb624a01365052d-238.html#unique-entry-id-238</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ea74b9d7b78dd6e8fb624a01365052d-238.html#unique-entry-id-238</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n sent me some pictures of Drymaeus (D.) expansus (Pfeiffer, 1848).   The animal was spotted in Peru, Dept.   Madre de Dios, near Puerto Maldonado on the leaves of a shrub.


Many thanks to Valent&iacute;n and to Grace Montalv&aacute;n who took the pictures.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (42): Corona</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-19T22:04:20+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3cff3f32b3d97546f1168588e8af4dc2-237.html#unique-entry-id-237</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3cff3f32b3d97546f1168588e8af4dc2-237.html#unique-entry-id-237</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The picture was taken by Carlos Rivera in 2006, in  a rainforest in Dept. 

...Although it is clearly a left-coiled specimen, I&rsquo;m not entirely sure about the specific identity as this is - so far - the only picture I got.   However, it shows what beautiful creatures living land snails can be.


Thanks to Valent&iacute;n and Grace for sending this picture.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A vicious circle?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-27T07:29:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3441454c6519528b64b27f9ee09da912-236.html#unique-entry-id-236</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3441454c6519528b64b27f9ee09da912-236.html#unique-entry-id-236</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Due to the ever-growing competition, scientists are reluctant to share data and - in the case of taxonomists - specimens, even when they know that elsewhere a specialist could benefit from studying them. ...  Much later than I had the blog posted, I heard some rumors about &ldquo;stealing taxa that had been worked on for years&rdquo;, etc.etc. ...  With the ever-growing scarcity of human resources in taxonomy, I feel that one should strive for synenergy rather than to pick ideas from and compete with others. ...  But I also realize that humans are part of the ecosystem and if the same niches are to be filled, inevitably some will turn out to act as predators.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (10): Araucocharopa</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-18T20:14:34+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fa364072598d0909c1cd811ae724beb5-235.html#unique-entry-id-235</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fa364072598d0909c1cd811ae724beb5-235.html#unique-entry-id-235</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently such a new species was described, for which also a new genus was erected: Araucocharopa gallardoi Miquel & C&aacute;diz Lorca.


It is perhaps merely coincidental that this novelty is described from Chile, like the species mentioned in this post and this one. 

...Although the paper has a header indicating it was published in 2008, the authors sent me a PDF named &ldquo;Miquel-C&aacute;dizLorca2009&rdquo; which leads me to believe that it was only just published.


...Araucocharopa gallardoi gen. et sp. n. de Charopidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Stylommatophora) del sur de Chile. - Revista Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales, n.s., 10: 329-340.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dominican snails (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-16T07:25:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e3b55b458fe22497026b612037df44e6-234.html#unique-entry-id-234</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e3b55b458fe22497026b612037df44e6-234.html#unique-entry-id-234</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some live snails that were encountered by Ad Hovestadt during his recent trip to this island.


From above to below: Amphicyclotulus amethystinus (Guppy, 1868) near bridge Rosalie River; ibidem, Emerald Pool; Veronicella spec. near Brandy Manor, east of Porthsmouth; ibidem, Emerald Pool; Helicina rhodostoma Gray, 1824, Emerald Pool.


As often seen, one has to have sharp eyes and be a keen malacologist to spot these creatures in the field.   Note that some of these pictures have been magnified and are selections. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Australian beauties</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-13T22:02:33+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/919e60dc966c220e290e8db76ef98742-233.html#unique-entry-id-233</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/919e60dc966c220e290e8db76ef98742-233.html#unique-entry-id-233</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And not being Bothriembryon - then at least there was a family relation - the sole reason is that I received some stunning photos from Frank K&ouml;hler.


Pictured are (in vertical order) two Amplirhagada species, two Torresitrachia species and an as yet unnamed one.


All originate from the Kimberley region in Western Australia, said to be &ldquo;Australia&rsquo;s last true wilderness&rdquo;. 


...Many thanks to Frank for sending and to Vince Kessner who made these beautiful pictures of these Australian beauties.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>P&#xe1;ramo congress</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-26T22:08:27+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c85e265d25986c1c047762bcc8285d63-232.html#unique-entry-id-232</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c85e265d25986c1c047762bcc8285d63-232.html#unique-entry-id-232</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A good friend sent me the annoucement of the 2nd World Congress on P&aacute;ramos, Paramundi.   It will be held from 21-27 June in Loja, Ecuador.


Not sure yet if I will visit (would love to, but as always one has ones priorities...).   Anyway, my priority for the next 10 days will be a private trip abroad. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dominican snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-26T21:25:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7da7768281d525d49f34a9c2cf23386d-231.html#unique-entry-id-231</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7da7768281d525d49f34a9c2cf23386d-231.html#unique-entry-id-231</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to EarthTrends data, forest is still 61% of the total land area, although in the same data sheet it is stated that this percentage is as low as 3. ...  Anyhow, the yellowish colours on the map above is either grassland or &lsquo;active agriculture&rsquo;; I assume the former category should be seen as &lsquo;passive agriculture&rsquo; (??).   It can be seen that this land use is dominant in coastal areas, but also spreading into the inland.   Still, the island is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot and our figures show that 16% of the land snails is endemic. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Niku-nuki&#x2c; a Japanese tradition</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-24T18:42:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6aa18ce3b006c51ea3a9379344df5ccd-230.html#unique-entry-id-230</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6aa18ce3b006c51ea3a9379344df5ccd-230.html#unique-entry-id-230</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I may have learned a tool that has proven to be useful and passed from one generation to the following. 

...My colleague Menno Schilthuizen draw my attention to a useful technique for preserving live collected animals (see also my previous post on a similar, but possibly less effective technique). 

...While normally it can be difficult to preserve the animal without tissue degradation, this method promises soft tissue preservation both for DNA and anatomical research, plus an undamaged shell. ...  Put the animals in a vial and when they actively move around on the bottom kill them by pouring boiling hot water over them (A). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (41): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-23T20:38:29+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e353d1a10e5e676350f84cbc96c5ad80-229.html#unique-entry-id-229</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e353d1a10e5e676350f84cbc96c5ad80-229.html#unique-entry-id-229</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another photo, sent by Jan Schlogl, of some live specimens of Plekocheilus (P.) fulminans alticola Haas, 1955. 


They were also spotted on the Chimant&aacute; massif in Venezuelan Guayana.   It is really exciting to see that snails are not so extremely rare in that area as previously thought.   Provided that you are focussed on them.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (40): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-21T16:11:56+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/22847052e83b533f1491bdb584a1b343-228.html#unique-entry-id-228</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/22847052e83b533f1491bdb584a1b343-228.html#unique-entry-id-228</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Interestingly, the Slovakian geological-speleological team that visited Venezuelan Guayana the past weeks, found quite a number of snails.   I reported on their preliminary findings here, but today I got more information on two species that were found on the Chimant&aacute; massif.


...This species lives on bromeliads (Brocchinia sp.) that were found in canyons more than 100 m deep.


...To me it seems that these species each occur in a narrow ecological niche, possibly with their own host plants.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Snapshots</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-16T21:44:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/513c5e0cbc67b99cabadfb54b800f683-227.html#unique-entry-id-227</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/513c5e0cbc67b99cabadfb54b800f683-227.html#unique-entry-id-227</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just some snapshots from last week&rsquo;s congress activities.


Together with Menno Schilthuizen (right) at the Town Hall&rsquo;s reception.


Mark Lomolino during his key note
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Evolutionary islands - some references</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-15T10:03:29+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/07906ae42dcd4960803af10df241bc47-226.html#unique-entry-id-226</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/07906ae42dcd4960803af10df241bc47-226.html#unique-entry-id-226</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Red Queen and the Court Jester: species diversity and the role of biotic and abiotic factors through time. - Science 323: 728-732.


...Species invasions and extinction: the future of native biodiversity on islands. -  Proceedings National Academy of Sciences, 105 Suppl. 

...Response of pollen diversity to the climate-driven altitudinal shift of vegetation in the Colombian Andes. - Proceedings of the Royal Society, B 362: 253-262.


...Finally, I like to mention that Dennis Uit de Weerd had a very nice poster on the phylogenitcs of Urocoptidae (to be published later) and my own poster dealing with Venezuelan tepui snails (see this post). 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Evolutionary islands - Day 2</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-13T17:26:57+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f1562e348552fc3e2ee0e337a30adc2b-225.html#unique-entry-id-225</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f1562e348552fc3e2ee0e337a30adc2b-225.html#unique-entry-id-225</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Comparing data from Last Glacial Maximum with modern biota show that shifts in the elevation range of biotas has had a dramatic influence on the area occupied.   There is marked difference between e.g. paramo and puna; while paramos have increasingly become fragmented since the LGM, puna vegetation was first covered by ice but has become available as a large area since that time. 

...The last lecture of this session was by Isaac Cananovas-Vilar (Barcelona) on &ldquo;Neogene micromammal evolution and turnover between isolation and continuity&rdquo;. 

...The second lecture by Frans Witte (Leiden), &ldquo;Human induced revolutions in Lake Victoria&rdquo;, showed that a few winners are replacing many losers in an ecosystem, as evidenced by ciclid fishes.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Evolutionary islands - Day 1</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-12T17:04:33+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/68a0489e2c1a6030661238385206a608-224.html#unique-entry-id-224</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/68a0489e2c1a6030661238385206a608-224.html#unique-entry-id-224</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m not going to repeat all obvious or not-so-obvious arguments pro or contra or to comment on the brillance of the work of Darwin (or the refutability of it, for the non-believers). 

...The morning session on Evolution in island systems continued with a lecture by Peter Linder (Zurich), &ldquo;Plant diversification on islands on the continent: the Cape flora as an example&rdquo;. 

...After having explained different modes of speciation, Schilthuizen showed a nice example of minute land snails exhibiting a non-adaptive radiation and a &lsquo;Red Queen evolution&rsquo;, driven by an arms race with a predator; in this case a slug. 


...The afternoon session on Evolutionary ecology of isolated ecosystems opened with a keynote by Peter Morin (New Brunswick) on &ldquo;The ecology and evolution of island communities in a changing world&rdquo;. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Borneo / Evolutionary islands - prelude</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-11T19:02:51+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/772f1e2ce5ebd53a51a4d5b028c633b5-223.html#unique-entry-id-223</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/772f1e2ce5ebd53a51a4d5b028c633b5-223.html#unique-entry-id-223</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He is a botanist at the National Herbarium and made a study about plant distributions on Borneo.   The reason to mention his work here is the use of species distribution modeling.   One of the interesting things mentioned in the discussion during the ceremony, was a possible workaround on the limit of a minimum of 5 occurrences for a Maxent model.


Secondly, I attended the reception at the Town Hall in Leiden for the congress on Evolutionary islands. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working in the shadow</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-09T16:30:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e38b291fc27931715e7e6f88142c1802-222.html#unique-entry-id-222</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e38b291fc27931715e7e6f88142c1802-222.html#unique-entry-id-222</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He submitted, together with Darwin, a paper on evolution to the Linnean Society of London in 1858 in which they expressed the same lines of thought that have become famous by Darwin&rsquo;s &ldquo;On the origin of species&rdquo;.   Later, Charles Darwin wrote to his friend Lyell: &ldquo;If Wallace had seen my draft manuscript written in 1842, he couldn&rsquo;t have written a better summary&rdquo;. 

...Although Wallace will be reminded in the Austalasian Realm with the Wallacean Line, his writings on his travels to Amazonia are probably less known. ...  The rest of this week I will be busy with Darwin-mania, viz. the congress on Evolutionary islands.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Prey of a bird and a bird of prey?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-06T17:19:12+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c59c522ff1ef1e12916a3f766185028f-221.html#unique-entry-id-221</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c59c522ff1ef1e12916a3f766185028f-221.html#unique-entry-id-221</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[At the moment some Slovak and Czech geologists are out in the field in Venezuelan Guayana.   Their main objective is further research on caves, but luckily they have informed themselves on what they might find in malacological terms.


...It seems that a bird species (not yet sure which one) is sampling these snails on the tepuis and bring them to their nests inside the cave, where they feed them to their young. 

...An intriguing story on which I hope to get more details later...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Making simple things rewarding</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-04T20:28:33+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/23d0986cbc6314099f551b2256d36603-220.html#unique-entry-id-220</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/23d0986cbc6314099f551b2256d36603-220.html#unique-entry-id-220</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not the most rewarding work, often done unnoticed unless a scientist needs a registration number to appear in a paper. 

...Many museums have their registration system only in-house, few have it public in a web-based database.   This can be a huge advantage for scientists abroad (like I can testify; e.g., the Florida State Museum database is a frequently used source for me).


Today I received notice from Paul Valentich-Scott that the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History had updated their database on their website with the recently published material on Bostryx. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (39): Scutalus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-03T22:20:21+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dff81aed32621f6b7adae36d94935e5d-219.html#unique-entry-id-219</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dff81aed32621f6b7adae36d94935e5d-219.html#unique-entry-id-219</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Peru is very diverse in habitats, although this may seem to be otherwise.   Who would expect this desolate looking site to harbour five different bulimulids?


One of them is a Scutalus (Scutalus) species that is depicted here.   Looks like a S. proteus with colour bands, but is as yet unnamed.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A poorly known Nicaraguan endemic</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-02T20:57:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63df3968920b59221508c02c57e48bbd-218.html#unique-entry-id-218</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63df3968920b59221508c02c57e48bbd-218.html#unique-entry-id-218</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But in the latest issue of Iberus, the journal of the Spanish malacologists, there is a paper by P&eacute;rez and others on Euglandina obtusa (Pfeiffer, 1844). 

...The authors redescribe the shell of this poorly known species and add 15 new localities, all in the south-western part of Nicaragua. 


As some localities are at the border of Honduras, I wonder how the authors can be sure that this species is a truly endemic of Nicaragua? 

...New data on the morphology and distribution of Euglandina obtusa (Pfeiffer, 1844) (Gastropoda: Spiraxidae) a Nicaraguan endemism. - Iberus 26: 127-131.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Succineids untangled</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-01T15:29:24+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2813ab785e8dc8ca9488efb1dfa1b00-217.html#unique-entry-id-217</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2813ab785e8dc8ca9488efb1dfa1b00-217.html#unique-entry-id-217</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is one of those groups which are often identified on the basis of their anatomy; the Veronicellidae - specialism of the second author - is one of the others.


In their paper two species of Omalonyx, occurring partially sympatrical, are untangled using both morphological and anatomical characters. 


This paper is an example how laborious it can be to know with which species you may be dealing. 

...Revalidation of Omalonyx convexus (Heynemann 1868) and emendation of the type locality of Omalonyx unguis (Orbigny 1837) - Archiv f&uuml;r Molluskenkunde 137: 159-166.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tentacle 17 now available</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-31T11:30:12+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/78fafc8debc8472c6a082f6cef8d2b19-216.html#unique-entry-id-216</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/78fafc8debc8472c6a082f6cef8d2b19-216.html#unique-entry-id-216</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[- Land snails as indicator species: Timothy Pearce reports on disturbances of complex ecosystems and the usefulness of molluscs to signal these disturbances by their presence.


...David Maceira et al. report on a species from the eastern side of the island that is seriously threatened by habitat fragmentation.


- Conservation status update on Society Island Partulidae: this is an interesting paper because it shows how foresight may pay off several decades later. 

...In all, an interesting new issue and glad to see that several Latin American authors have found this medium as a way to raise attention to Neotropical snails.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Suriname land snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-30T19:40:16+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/726d5af000a5a5624e2cd7c99e696559-215.html#unique-entry-id-215</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/726d5af000a5a5624e2cd7c99e696559-215.html#unique-entry-id-215</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Land Mollusca is one of the priority groups, not because land snails as such are considered so important, but the availability of my knowledge just comes in handy. 

...The first step was to make a literature overview and to gather the localities where material has been collected. 

...The faunal list contains 54 species, but there are several groups that might turn out to be problematic. 

...There is a &lsquo;working list&rsquo; available, just in case there is someone with an interest in Neotropical snails :-)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (38): Amphibulima</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-29T16:26:44+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/572fe9df541668633d879783c323259e-214.html#unique-entry-id-214</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/572fe9df541668633d879783c323259e-214.html#unique-entry-id-214</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Three species of Amphibulima have been reported from Dominica, of which the local subspecies of A. patula is the most frequently encountered.   The two others, A. pardalina and A. browni Pilsbry, 1899 are much rarer.   The latter is here pictured, thanks to David Robinson (yes, him again :-)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An island fauna</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-28T21:28:58+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d93defe4562f1d311464e877ed3a9024-213.html#unique-entry-id-213</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d93defe4562f1d311464e877ed3a9024-213.html#unique-entry-id-213</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is one of the Lesser Antilles, lying on the inner arc and of volcanic origin. 


...The faunal list will include 43 species, of which several recorded for the first time from the island.   This makes Dominica one of the most biodivers islands in the Lesser Antilles; of course, as far as land snails are concerned ;-)


There is a marked difference between the windward and the leeward side of the island, both in species composition and in altitudinal range. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (37): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-25T15:24:53+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/71d5f1fcf3dbd30cab5693ef87992ad0-212.html#unique-entry-id-212</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/71d5f1fcf3dbd30cab5693ef87992ad0-212.html#unique-entry-id-212</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It was taken on Puerto Rico and - besides that it is a Drymaeus species - I am not sure yet about its specific identity.


Compare this picture to the one I posted yesterday and you will see that this Drymaeus has the ocular tentacles much longer.   Now having seen quite some different Drymaeus snails (follow the tag to see them), it becomes quite clear that the colour of the body and those of the tentacles are helpful diagnostic characters.


Thanks to Joel Perez who took the picture (and of course to David R. for forwarding ).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (36): Bulimulus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-24T21:17:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2000e7c6f68b074f54f64f697f840eed-211.html#unique-entry-id-211</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2000e7c6f68b074f54f64f697f840eed-211.html#unique-entry-id-211</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The West Indies harbour many endemic land snails.   This picture was taken on the island Grenada from a living Bulimulus: B. wiebesi Breure, 1978.   It shows the characteristic short tentacles for this genus.


It&rsquo;s another picture from the suite that David Robinson sent me. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Seeming-slug or semi-slug</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-21T22:18:23+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0abe44f485bcbc03a2a45f3675087dea-210.html#unique-entry-id-210</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0abe44f485bcbc03a2a45f3675087dea-210.html#unique-entry-id-210</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Several months ago I showed some pictures of a semi-slug that remained puzzling at that time.   With the help of David Robinson we reached the conclusion that it must have been a juvenile of Amphibulima pardalina Guppy, 1868.   The poor snail just happened to have lost his shell and probably didn&rsquo;t survive his moment of fame before the camera lens...


...NB: remarkable that there is a light and a dark brown coloured form of this animal.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working around a gazetteer</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-20T20:52:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8651277655cf90d70d25086a53918dcc-209.html#unique-entry-id-209</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8651277655cf90d70d25086a53918dcc-209.html#unique-entry-id-209</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m an ardent user of online gazetteers and was somewhat unpleasantly surprised when my favorite gazetteer (GNS) showed a persistent error during the last days. 

...Looking on the net for some possible work around, I found this site.   When you skip the heading and scroll down you will find a nice listing of alternatives. 

...But perhaps there is lesson to learned here: better have a downloaded copy on your harddisk or, even better, a hard copy on your bookshelf.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (35): Naesiotus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-17T12:30:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/667b0bd4a8b16242b4ccde4f64c5d8a1-208.html#unique-entry-id-208</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/667b0bd4a8b16242b4ccde4f64c5d8a1-208.html#unique-entry-id-208</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is e.g. the case with &ldquo;Bulimulus stenogyroides&rdquo; that was described by Guppy in 1868 from the island of Dominica.   In my 1974 revision I was unable to recognize the species, despite the wealth of material that I had at hand.   Guppy&rsquo;s type material - an incomplete specimen with only the lower spire preserved - was lost when the institute that housed his collection burned down.


...Not sure it was just a matter of luck or good collecting (perhaps both), but they even found living specimens.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sneak preview</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-16T09:39:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fbc93a022646cab78763827732f9139c-207.html#unique-entry-id-207</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fbc93a022646cab78763827732f9139c-207.html#unique-entry-id-207</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I mentioned it before, but Naturalis will be the host for an international congress   devoted on &ldquo;Evolutionary islands&rdquo;, 12 and 13 February. ...  Having done that never before, it was a happy coincidence that the topic presented itself: radiation in land snails on Venezuelan tepui islands.


...While you have still two weeks for registering for the congress, I just wanted to give you a sneak preview of what may be expected. 

...A special word of thanks to my colleague Jeremy Miller for his kind and invaluable help during the making of this poster.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (9): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-14T21:51:54+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9e514a3d747f6d62365c3a513f1dd2eb-206.html#unique-entry-id-206</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9e514a3d747f6d62365c3a513f1dd2eb-206.html#unique-entry-id-206</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They were discovered during the revision of manuscript names of Weyrauch and occur both in Peru, Dept. 

...The type locality of Bostryx primigenius sp.n. is El Infernillo, the pass through which both the highway and the train to La Oroya passes.


There is a gradual transition to the next species in a hybrid zone near Tambo de Viso, which is the type locality of Bostryx multiconspectus sp.n.


...Carination strikes the eye: extreme shell shapes and sibling species in three Andean genera of the Orthalicidae (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora). - Zoologische Mededelingen 82: 499-514.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (8): Columbinia</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-13T19:57:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/28f2b7310461213127ac9c5083577c3f-205.html#unique-entry-id-205</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/28f2b7310461213127ac9c5083577c3f-205.html#unique-entry-id-205</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As the tepuis are geologically very old sandstone formations and there soils are acidic, they constitute special habitats to snails.   Clausiliidae are more commonly found in more calcium-rich environments and the occurrence of this species on this isolated mountain is surely remarkable.


Conchologically, the species bears close resemblance to Neniops smithiae (Pilsbry, 1901), occurring in the isolated Sierra de Santa Marta, Colombia.


...The Clausiliid landsnail genus Columbinia in Venezuela, and the description of a new species. - Archiv f&uuml;r Molluskenkunde 137: 127-132.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (34): Scutalus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-12T19:20:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f3c435642a652072b4513dc438748c7e-204.html#unique-entry-id-204</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f3c435642a652072b4513dc438748c7e-204.html#unique-entry-id-204</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not a brilliant picture that I found on the internet and with a wrong identification, &ldquo;Scutalus peruvianus&rdquo;.   It is actually Scutalus (S.) proteus (Broderip, 1832) and is said to be depicted in the R&iacute;o Chillon valley, near Santa Eulalia.


Photo: Enrique Florez


The picture shows the characteristic relatively thin and long tentacles for this genus.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The extended family revisited</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-11T07:48:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/14184d004cbf75bf0ff47261a75fbe7f-203.html#unique-entry-id-203</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/14184d004cbf75bf0ff47261a75fbe7f-203.html#unique-entry-id-203</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The most surprising aspect is the close relation between Prestonella and the Australasian members: the clade of Prestonella, Bothriembryon and Placostylus appears to be monophyletic and well supported (BP=100%).


Also the morphological data support a strong affinity between Prestonella and the other members of the Orthalicoidea: the genitalia, the palleal organs, the holopodous foot and the shape and sculpture of the protoconch.


...Uit de Weerd (2008) primarily studied the relationships of the Urocoptidae, but from his molecular analysis it is clear that Coelocion from Australia is also related, as is shown in this part of his figure 4.


...Delimitation and phylogenetics of the diverse land-snail family Urocoptidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) based on 28S rRNA sequnece data: a reunion with Cerion. - Journal Molluscan Studies 74: 317-329.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (33): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-09T14:54:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5f0c8e6f015460245b9002ab376d6fbc-202.html#unique-entry-id-202</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5f0c8e6f015460245b9002ab376d6fbc-202.html#unique-entry-id-202</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another picture of the series that David Robinson sent me, Plekocheilus (Eudolichotis) grenadensis Guppy, 1868 from Grenada.   This taxon is treated up till now as a subspecies of P. glaber (see previous post), but if body colour is a distinctive character it may turn out to be a species on its own.


Thanks again David!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (7): Chilean Charopidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-10T14:31:11+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f989994a59885d16d250b1a595c5681a-201.html#unique-entry-id-201</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f989994a59885d16d250b1a595c5681a-201.html#unique-entry-id-201</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[From the same publication mentioned in this post, a new minute land shell: Chillius pyramidalis (gen.nov., spec.nov.).   It was described from the same type locality: Peninsula de Hualp&eacute;n (holotype Universidad Concepci&oacute;n 26777) and belongs to the family Charopidae.


...& Stuardo, J., 2007.   Dos g&eacute;neros nuevos de caracoles terrestres (Stylommatophora: Arionacea) de Chile. - Revista Biologia Tropical 55: 693-708.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (32): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-08T22:15:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ef43b93078c5ad60414ffd80299ac8a1-200.html#unique-entry-id-200</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ef43b93078c5ad60414ffd80299ac8a1-200.html#unique-entry-id-200</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another picture from the suite that David Robinson sent me.   It is Plekocheilus (Eudolichotis) glaber (Gmelin, 1791). 

...The Eudolichotis group is very distinct, but the different taxa show a lot of plasticity.   A future revision may benefit from pictures as this, showing the colour of the animal.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (6): Chilean Punctidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-07T21:49:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/90ca4bda3712259e010d8e508bb7e146-199.html#unique-entry-id-199</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/90ca4bda3712259e010d8e508bb7e146-199.html#unique-entry-id-199</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Speaking on Chilean land snails recently, I like to draw attention to a new species (and a new genus) that was described some years ago by Vargas & Stuardo, Pichikadi hualpensis.


...Carl Christensen remarked that it is very similar to Paralaoma servilis (Shuttleworth, 1852), a punctid from New Zealand that is now rapidly spreading into the New World and Europe.


Comparing it to this species, the similarities are indeed striking and the dimensions are the same.   However, I&rsquo;m not a specialist in Punctidae and I will give no final verdict here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (31): Amphibulima</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-06T21:53:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b1bf4fe520275d17fc1ab1436b303a24-198.html#unique-entry-id-198</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b1bf4fe520275d17fc1ab1436b303a24-198.html#unique-entry-id-198</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today two more pictures of Amphibulima that were very kindly sent by Dr David Robinson.   It are juvenile specimens of A. patula from St. ...  Kitts and on Nevis&rdquo;, islands were it hasn&rsquo;t been reported from hitherto.


David sent me other pics as well, more on those later. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (30): Macrocyclis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-05T14:28:37+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dde35b056b67fe19fcbec1d5391a18d0-197.html#unique-entry-id-197</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dde35b056b67fe19fcbec1d5391a18d0-197.html#unique-entry-id-197</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is a picture also found on Flickr and reported from Chile, Valdivia, Parque Oncol.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chilean Orthalicidae (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-04T12:58:16+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51d1c488691de65abbb6ef9d59474482-196.html#unique-entry-id-196</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51d1c488691de65abbb6ef9d59474482-196.html#unique-entry-id-196</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is hard to say what species precisely, because only this dorso-lateral view is available.   Judging from the shell shape and the records from literature, one possibility is B. rouaulti (Hupe, 1857).


...It resembles P. variegatus (Pfeiffer, 1842) but, again, with only this information it is hard to be conclusive.


Again, no data on the next picture, but clearly a different species judging from the animal alone; the orange neck-stripe and rim along the foot is characteristic. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Darwin&#x2c; science and Surinam</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-02T09:13:01+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9f0fb1222197c92ecc7fdd95f5e5b0d9-195.html#unique-entry-id-195</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9f0fb1222197c92ecc7fdd95f5e5b0d9-195.html#unique-entry-id-195</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is a theory with a &lsquo;high societal impact&rsquo; and surely Darwin&rsquo;s publication would have been high-ranked if the citation index had existed in his time.


...In reality, Darwin developed the idea over a period of 20 years during which he laboriously collected, categorized and interpreted many, many specimens. ...  We might therefore commemorate not only Darwin&rsquo;s work, but grasp the opportunity to place all scientific work in the spot-lights. 

...But the coming 6 months I will be able to work full-time at Naturalis on a project on Surinam land snails. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chilean Orthalicidae (1)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-03T22:02:53+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/aea7f5b0e3198a40aeeba16b8adcb76b-194.html#unique-entry-id-194</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/aea7f5b0e3198a40aeeba16b8adcb76b-194.html#unique-entry-id-194</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Preparing information for a friend who will visit Chile this month, it strikes me that some years have past since the last publication on Chilean land molluscs. 

...The latter publication is a synopsis of the land snails, for which detailed catalogues and group analyses were announced &ldquo;to be published by parts elsewhere&rdquo;. 

...As is also the case in other countries, the Orthalicidae are a major element of the Chilean terrestrial malacofauna. 42 taxa are listed, one doubtfully recorded for Chile (belonging to Thaumastus); the others all belong to Bostryx and Plectostylus.


...Whether these circumstances constitute &lsquo;ecological stress&rsquo; leading to peculiar shell shapes or not remains an open question for me (as discussed in this post). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Season&#x27;s Greetings</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-22T22:48:43+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/61929931d3a077391a1d352bf5dab1dd-193.html#unique-entry-id-193</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/61929931d3a077391a1d352bf5dab1dd-193.html#unique-entry-id-193</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dear readers,


Although most of you are unknown to me, I wish you all a good Christmas time and a healthy and prosperous New Year. 


Please, do return in 2009, when this blog will be continued...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Darwin&#x27;s year</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-21T21:24:07+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6017446355a319677a5e57b94f0257de-192.html#unique-entry-id-192</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6017446355a319677a5e57b94f0257de-192.html#unique-entry-id-192</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[According to Goldschmidt, the publication of &ldquo;On the origin of species&rdquo; (1859), which he calls &ldquo;the most important publication in biology&rdquo; is even a better milestone for 2009.  


...However, what worries Goldschmidt is the rapid spread of all kind of plants and animals in human&rsquo;s trail that often compete with the original flora and fauna.


...Something different is the species that - intentionally or accidentally - is introduced in an other ecosystem, generally by a vector (e.g. a human, ship, airplane). 

...Although there are many &lsquo;positive&rsquo; intruders - e.g. species used for food or decoration - the ones that are called &lsquo;alien species&rsquo; are either economically damaging or provide a health risk. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (29): Corona</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-20T16:20:03+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/87c410ab14a490dfdf28e2ddf5a84fc0-191.html#unique-entry-id-191</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/87c410ab14a490dfdf28e2ddf5a84fc0-191.html#unique-entry-id-191</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another picture of Corona, this time C. perversa (Swainson, 1822).   This specimen was observed hibernating in a tree near Puerto Nari&ntilde;o, Amazonas, Colombia.


Thanks Frank, for the picture.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tepuy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-19T13:05:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1346bdfb6cfc4432ce4f93aeb4c7bf46-190.html#unique-entry-id-190</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1346bdfb6cfc4432ce4f93aeb4c7bf46-190.html#unique-entry-id-190</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Horizontal quartzite caves can&rsquo;t exist according to geological knowledge. ...  Slovakian cavers have explored the region and found several caves in Roraima and Chimant&aacute; massifs.   Of the latter expedition a documentary has been made, called Tepuy, which is available on DVD.


For all who would like to see this fascinating part of the world and to have an impression of the habitat of several interesting snail species, I recommend this film. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Chirality</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-18T09:19:46+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/46d5fdbddf1ec252430031b7ecdd9aef-189.html#unique-entry-id-189</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/46d5fdbddf1ec252430031b7ecdd9aef-189.html#unique-entry-id-189</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Land snails are just one example, leading to sinistral specimens besides the normal dextral ones in a population (intra-specific chirality) or sinistral species among other, dextral species in a group (inter-specific chirality).


...And I have seen a report on a sinistral Megalobulimus, but that may be just an aberration, just like the specimens of Rabdotus, Thaumastus and Euglandina that can be found here.


...Also Corona perversa (Swainson, 1820) - occurring in northern Brazil and the Guianas - and C. regalis (Hup&eacute;, 1857) - the latter also westward into lowland Peru and Ecuador - are normally sinistral.   There is one taxon, described as Corona incisa forma machadoensis Strebel, 1909 from &ldquo;Rio Machado&rdquo; [in Brazil, it might be either Edo. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Decline of molluscs</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-17T22:24:43+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6eb8dc528cf88b76f97d0b8e851282cb-188.html#unique-entry-id-188</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6eb8dc528cf88b76f97d0b8e851282cb-188.html#unique-entry-id-188</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is part of a global pattern and, although we may have to accept it, it has not to go unnoticed.


Christine Parent has written a small paper earlier this year about this topic.   She explains in clear writing what role molluscs play in ecosystems and why it is important to stop their decline.


No doubt that many of my readers may be aware of the existence and the urgency of this problem. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More on Neotropical malacology</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-16T19:33:32+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/288a38de9571b15b838cd102a9a15d4e-187.html#unique-entry-id-187</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/288a38de9571b15b838cd102a9a15d4e-187.html#unique-entry-id-187</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Yesterday arrived the Unitas Malacologica newsletter, with a report of the CLAMA VII congress in Chile. 

...In their latest issue (2007) I found a list of members: 57 + 5 members from abroad + 2 honory members. 

...Each number of Amici Molluscorum (at least the more recent ones, but also some of the older) contain a few papers, predominantly on marine molluscs. 

...In the announcements I saw a paper by one of the members on Pre-Colombian malacology. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (28): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-15T09:01:13+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/518b1181a0f3f1fd4e9a639c26f01d68-186.html#unique-entry-id-186</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/518b1181a0f3f1fd4e9a639c26f01d68-186.html#unique-entry-id-186</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Alan Pierre Infante kindly sent me some pictures of a Drymaeus species encountedred by him in Colombia, Dept. 

...The colour of the tentacles are unlike anything I have seen so far in the Orthalicidae.   What would the selective advantage be of bright coloured tentacles?


Although it is difficult to say with certainty from this picture alone, I think this species is probably Drymaeus baranguillanus (Pfeiffer, 1853).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (27): Incidostosma</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-13T14:23:06+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ad1d38b4b599baaea30d02ee40a80370-185.html#unique-entry-id-185</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ad1d38b4b599baaea30d02ee40a80370-185.html#unique-entry-id-185</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This photo is part of an e-card with Season&rsquo;s Greeting that I received from Jozef Grego.   It is always nice to see a live snail instead of only a shell.   It is like seeing a photograph of a person after you have read several of his/her publications.   You get a face to a name. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Meeting colleagues</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-12T14:09:34+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9d620bec2c4aaa2443a60b72e32b907e-184.html#unique-entry-id-184</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9d620bec2c4aaa2443a60b72e32b907e-184.html#unique-entry-id-184</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It had something special since it served also to acquaintance people that will form the new Dept. of Terrestrial Zoology as of 1 January 2009.


The organisation goes through a lot of changes, the most important is the recently announced transformation into the &lsquo;Nederlands Centrum voor Biodiversiteit&rsquo; (NCB; Dutch Center for Biodiversity). 

...It was the first time that entomologists, malacologists and herpetologists were presenting their research to each other, together with associate researchers. 

...Also there are several examples of adaptive radiation (Gal&aacute;pagos) and non-adaptive radiation (Guayana Highlands) represented in this family. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (26): Corona</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-11T11:39:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a987005ae9db6cb3ae20af27bcd2cff-183.html#unique-entry-id-183</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a987005ae9db6cb3ae20af27bcd2cff-183.html#unique-entry-id-183</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is Corona pfeifferi, a species that was described by Hidalgo in 1869. ...  Corona is a typical rain forest genus, with some known sinistral forms.   But C. pfeifferi is a normal, dextral species.


It is a beauty, isn&rsquo;t it?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Carination revisited</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-10T16:56:31+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/79e754317cc5b037d4ce9f0d5c68a468-182.html#unique-entry-id-182</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/79e754317cc5b037d4ce9f0d5c68a468-182.html#unique-entry-id-182</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While searching some literature on Chile for a friend, I found an interesting paper on the ecology of a Bostryx species from the desert in the northern part of the country.   It also sheds some new light on the phenomenon of carianation (subject of an upcoming paper) and relates to the specialization / speciation discussion briefly summarized here and here.


...Eventually it appeared that Bostryx mejillonensis was only found in localities where meteorological circumstances sustained epiphytic colonies of lichens on cacti at the top of a hill nearby the type locality of Herm. 

...Given the hypothesis briefly outlined above, my question is: is carination as observed in other places (e.g., here and here) also best explained as a &lsquo;stress-induced speciation process&rsquo;? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A biogeographical enigma</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-07T12:03:06+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2f255255a4a039a0404337e64b8471f9-181.html#unique-entry-id-181</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2f255255a4a039a0404337e64b8471f9-181.html#unique-entry-id-181</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Jared Diamond used Easter Island as one of the cases in his book Collapse (2004), in which he illustrated how ancient cultures vanished and how modern cultures are vulnerable for it. 

...Now there is a new paper by Kirch et al.* on the malacofauna of this island, for which malacological reports are scarce.   The authors not only report three additional introduced species, but also describe a subfossil new endemic one: Hotumatua anakenana gen.nov, spec.nov.


Although Easter Island has now only a very impoverished land snail fauna, Kirch et al. suspect that the island once had a much richer terrestrial fauna. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update on Dominican Amphibulima</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-04T21:23:18+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e2aeed6f615698dc632887e8a3e0581b-180.html#unique-entry-id-180</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e2aeed6f615698dc632887e8a3e0581b-180.html#unique-entry-id-180</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I met with Ad Hovestadt, specialist on Antillean snails, to discuss about his recent trip to Dominica.   He showed me some Amphibulima shells and suggested that the pictures shown here are actually Amphibulima patula (Brugui&egrave;re, 1792), a young specimen.   The two other species known from the island - A. pardalina Guppy, 1868 and A. browni Pilsbry, 1899 - have also be collected by him and he gave me an alcohol preserved specimen of the former. 

...We decided to write on joint paper on these and other species which he collected during his trip.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Proficiat Dr Bas Kokshoorn</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-03T21:49:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/76242b57f55681af63c52625e10cdfce-179.html#unique-entry-id-179</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/76242b57f55681af63c52625e10cdfce-179.html#unique-entry-id-179</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The thesis consists of eight chapters of which several will be published later in peer-reviewed journals. ...  Other chapters deal with an introduction to the family Chondrinidae, the historical biogeography of the genus Chondrina, a phylogenetic analysis of the Abida secale-complex and its ecophenotypic variation and finally a taxonomic revision of the Chondrinidae.


...The methodology applied may be applicable to some questions I have about some Peruvian species, e.g. here. 

...More information can be found here (at the time of writing offline, but check as he promises to be back a.s.a.p.). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Good heavens&#x21; </title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-02T14:41:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bd91e3cb680d2563589ef5192da15575-178.html#unique-entry-id-178</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/bd91e3cb680d2563589ef5192da15575-178.html#unique-entry-id-178</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A recent survey of 40 plant nurseries around the state, conducted by a University of Hawaii at Manoa biosciences research program, found all of them were infested with alien slugs and snails.


...The report of the survey in the International Journal of Pest Management comes as the state goes through the annual hit-or-miss exercise of checking imported Christmas trees for pests through eyeballing them and the low-tech method of shaking or pounding evergreens to displace bugs and whatnots.


...This year, slugs have made appearances, which Robert Cowie, a snail-slug specialist at the university who also was involved in the survey, described as "potentially quite serious pests." 

...That could be productive, but the state should take a comprehensive look at how it could best intercept invasive and alien species, much as California and other states head off island produce for fruit flies
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ancient snail art</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-01T07:26:51+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63938d182fe963abe748b1ff1c34d928-177.html#unique-entry-id-177</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/63938d182fe963abe748b1ff1c34d928-177.html#unique-entry-id-177</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Snails have an ancient track record as object of art.   Here are some photos from objects found in northern Peru, dating back to the Moche culture (ca.   400 AD).


The photos were kindly supplied by Edward de Bock.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Horticultural trade as vector for snail pests</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-01T16:29:26+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a5c9ccad2cba401d326c43e76c1f8967-176.html#unique-entry-id-176</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a5c9ccad2cba401d326c43e76c1f8967-176.html#unique-entry-id-176</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Having inventoried 40 horticultural nurseries on different islands in Hawaii, Cowie and his team come to the conclusion that horticultural trade has spread invasive snails and slugs which are potentially serious pests.   Many nurseries visited in Hawaii didn&rsquo;t know that they were infested by snails and slugs - e.g. because they were too small to become readily noticed - and thus inadvertently exported them. 


While the article describes the situation found and the conservation issues in Hawaii, one can think of analogous situations in horticulture nurseries elsewhere, not to mention snail nurseries. 

...The horticultural industry as a vector of alien snails and slugs: widespread invasions in Hawaii. - International Journal of Pest Management 54: 267-276.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Image tricks</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-30T13:03:09+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2340b85e081e4fec142b55db6c6470ff-175.html#unique-entry-id-175</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2340b85e081e4fec142b55db6c6470ff-175.html#unique-entry-id-175</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Don&rsquo;t take this post too serious, after all it&rsquo;s Sunday.   And although a scientist doesn&rsquo;t have a 5-day working week with 9am-5pm hours, there should be room for some experimenting and creative play.


These are some pictures that I made with Image Tricks and several settings to manipulate colour, focus, distortion, style, halftone and lumine.


Viewed in another context one would call this art. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Taking pictures is a craft</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-29T12:34:45+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7045f7edbeefdd3adb6653e58068125f-174.html#unique-entry-id-174</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7045f7edbeefdd3adb6653e58068125f-174.html#unique-entry-id-174</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While at previous occasions this was done at a photography room with expert assistance of a colleague, this time it was a provisional set-up and I was on my own.


...Because this shell was so shining I was still not satisfied with the result and experimented with dimming the light by placing a white sheet of paper between the lamp and the shell.   Picture 6 shows how the improvement looks after one side, leaving a dark shadow around the top and too much reflection at the bottom of the shell.


...They looked good on the screen, but after transferral of the pictures to the computer, it was clear that one extra round is needed to improve the depth of field...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Puzzle picture</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-28T19:33:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e5430904374eb0deef34cb8fc58bf91d-173.html#unique-entry-id-173</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e5430904374eb0deef34cb8fc58bf91d-173.html#unique-entry-id-173</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While in the dark rain forest you certainly need a pair of good eyes to spot these creatures. 

...Someone spotted this specimen recently while on holiday in Peru, near Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata. 

...It&rsquo;s characterized by a orange line near the creeping sole and a dark stripe on the head. 

...The title of this post should have read: Photo of the day (26): Sultana. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Prime and remnant species</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-27T21:32:08+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e24e16b38340d45f9cb83f5a50be7ea3-172.html#unique-entry-id-172</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e24e16b38340d45f9cb83f5a50be7ea3-172.html#unique-entry-id-172</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An interesting concept that is part of a thesis to be defended next week (more on it then), is that of the distinction between &lsquo;prime&rsquo; and &lsquo;remnant&rsquo; species (Gittenberger & Kokshoorn, 2008).


...However, data on the phylogenetic relationships will be necessary to be able to differentiate between (1) recent speciation and (2) a secondary situation, with stability or decrease in range.


...Rabonowitz (1981) has made a classification of rarity in plants, and it is interesting to apply this here in analogy. 

...Two orthalicid species that spring to mind which may exemplify the concept of &lsquo;prime&rsquo; species are Plekocheilus (Eurytus) floccosus (Orbigny, 1835) and Drymaeus (D.) expansus (Pfeiffer, 1848). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New taxa (5): Annulariidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-26T11:29:03+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c76ef1abab9cd64e676349799259f89d-171.html#unique-entry-id-171</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c76ef1abab9cd64e676349799259f89d-171.html#unique-entry-id-171</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Continuing the series on new species, I realized it be better called new taxa in order to include also supraspecific new introduced names.


...This family of land snails is huge, with about 1400 nominal taxa described of which Watters retains ca. 700 as valid species. 

...His work is a milestone for this - often considered as difficult - family, giving a new scheme for the higher taxa and references to taxa on the species level.   For the latter the following data are provided: depository of types, type locality, if the type has been figured, current taxonomy, remarks, synonymy, distributional range and etymology.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (25): Amphibulima</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-25T13:56:56+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/57248c9703dd06d8bdb8d80a8ab7ad67-170.html#unique-entry-id-170</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/57248c9703dd06d8bdb8d80a8ab7ad67-170.html#unique-entry-id-170</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ad Hovestadt sent me a picture taken during his recent trip to Dominica, West Indies.   Although the background is accidentally sharper than the shell, this is probably a specimen of Amphibulima browni Pilsbry, 1899.


It is one of those rare species that are seldomly collected, so it is fortunate to be pictured.


...Update: After examining the shell of this specimen Ad and I have come to the conclusion that it actually represents the very similar A. pardalina Guppy, 1868
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Brazilian streptaxids</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-23T17:32:55+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a79210173f73cd6ee0a0851ac3462cc3-169.html#unique-entry-id-169</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a79210173f73cd6ee0a0851ac3462cc3-169.html#unique-entry-id-169</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Streptaxidae are a family known from various tropical regions and Barbosa et al. (2008) have now re-evaluated a Brazilian group, the genus Hypselartemon Wenz, 1947.


It is a nice paper, dealing with the morphology and anatomy of the few taxa placed in this genus.   Formerly ascribed to Brazil and Colombia, these taxa are now wholly restricted to the former country and occur in the eastern part only.


...Taxonomy, comparative morphology, and geographical distribution of the Neotropical genus Hypselartemon Wenz, 1947 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Streptaxidae) - Malacologia 50: 1-12.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Eponyms&#x2c; the edge between taxonomy and biohistory</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-22T11:14:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b958389540538832643024a394b4a432-168.html#unique-entry-id-168</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b958389540538832643024a394b4a432-168.html#unique-entry-id-168</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Taxonomists have one preference that other biologists are missing, viz. to choose freely - within the limits of the ICZN-rules - the name of any new taxon they describe. 

...There are taxonomists who have a horror of eponyms, and other who seem to be really fond of them. ...  My personal stand is that sometimes this is preferable indeed, but sometimes it is just a pleasure to name a new taxon after an esteemed colleague or to honor the person who collected the specimens. 

...Gijs Kronenberg, to whom I&rsquo;m grateful for exchanging some thoughts on this topic, will publish an updated list on the eponyms of Dutch malacologists at the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Dutch Malacological Society in 2009.     
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Darwin&#x27;s legacy</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-20T15:49:56+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f739605766fde37be6b1ffe4377cac40-167.html#unique-entry-id-167</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f739605766fde37be6b1ffe4377cac40-167.html#unique-entry-id-167</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Much is, however, still unknown - not only of snails but also of other groups - and e.g. even the sister group of the Gal&aacute;pagos bulimulids has not been ascertained till now. ...  Parent & Crispi (2006) found a combination of both within-island and between-island speciation and the relative importance of genetic drift and selection in within-island diversifications of this group is not known.


While the speciation processes are affected by colonization and extinction, the geographical dynamics of the whole archipelago has to be taken into account, where change of sea levels undoubtedly created or ceased possibilities for gene flow.


...Again and again, I cannot help to stress the importance of taking field notes and storing them at a place where they will be available for future scientists.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>How many Neotropical malacologists are there?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-18T16:54:03+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/55dfba3d70578150608d482c191a26bc-166.html#unique-entry-id-166</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/55dfba3d70578150608d482c191a26bc-166.html#unique-entry-id-166</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To find only the beginning of the answer I quickly scanned the reference work for biohistory on malacology (Coan et al. ...  There are over 7000 names listed, of which slightly over 250 are connected to the Neotropics, i.e. either the person was born and lived in Latin America or lived part of their life there. 

...As far as I know, the regularly scheduled CLAMA congresses are not based on membership (I would opt for it if this was possible).   But it would be interesting to see if the attendance during the congresses organized so far does reflect the pattern in the figures above. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (24): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-16T20:04:55+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c19e052ef30fa3215698673b86408b89-165.html#unique-entry-id-165</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c19e052ef30fa3215698673b86408b89-165.html#unique-entry-id-165</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n kindly sent me some pictures, one of which is an as yet unidentified Drymaeus species from eastern Peru.


The region where this beauty was photographed looks equally luxuriant.


The photos were made by Grace Montalv&aacute;n Naranjos.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Type material catalogued</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-10T16:41:49+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/33537ce34e514090e6a205a24aa3c394-164.html#unique-entry-id-164</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/33537ce34e514090e6a205a24aa3c394-164.html#unique-entry-id-164</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As always, it is a very good idea to publish a catalogue of type material in a museum.   The initiative of three ladies to list the types from the Zoology Museum of the University of Costa Rica deserves special attention, as it is still one of the few examples of publications on type depositories from Latin American museums. 


The publication mainly lists marine taxa and land snails are represented by type material of Helicina species described by Ira Richling.   The accompanying photographs are of good quality, but for a colourful impression of the helicinids one should consult Richling&rsquo;s papers.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>E-paper&#x2c; no blogging</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-09T16:07:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/071a222d3a354b90c581d644328996d0-163.html#unique-entry-id-163</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/071a222d3a354b90c581d644328996d0-163.html#unique-entry-id-163</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This site is still in prototype status and when I searched today for &ldquo;Mollusca&rdquo; I found only one name (Mollusca Linneaus, 1758) and 32 publications listed (all from Zootaxa, which cannot be a matter of change).   So there remains some work to do before this will be fully operationally and maybe that is the reason why the Commission sets 2010 as starting date for this requirement. 

...In this respect the proposal isn&rsquo;t revolutionary at all, but it may still appear to be a big leap forward.


...I suspect, however, that libraries in their classical form will remain as a source for taxonomic literature for a long time. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What fossils can learn</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-06T20:50:44+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d451a858d3449d61aea42116780c5f9b-162.html#unique-entry-id-162</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d451a858d3449d61aea42116780c5f9b-162.html#unique-entry-id-162</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With modern techniques Hearty and Schellenberg were able to resolve stratigraphic subunits with the Holocene and late Pleistocene of fossil and living Cerion from San Salvador Island. 

...Their detailed study is not only a nice contribution from a geological viewpoint, it also shows that a fossil record might be necessary to reach the conclusions they were able to draw. ...  The period of greatest rate of change coincides with the onset of interglacials, which hints to the availability of a richer diet, resulting in faster growing, more globose shells.   One of their working hypothesis for future studies is that ecophenotypy as an evolutionary mechanism may explain the temporal changes in shell shape.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New species (4): Brazilian Simpulopsis </title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-05T21:53:48+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/587178809edb215dca7d8d61a87acefd-161.html#unique-entry-id-161</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/587178809edb215dca7d8d61a87acefd-161.html#unique-entry-id-161</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So I intend to cover all species since I started this blog in December 2006 and all Orthalicidae (sensu lato) since my work in the &rsquo;70s.


The first taxa to be covered are some Simpulopsis species described from Brazil by Silva & Thom&eacute; in 2006.   The two new species have both been found in Rio Grande do Sul, S&atilde;o Francisco de Paula, Biological station Pro-Mata.


...Given the fact that Thom&eacute;&rsquo;s group has been discontinued, it is unclear to me what happened with the collection. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Going North? At snail&#x27;s pace</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-04T20:50:13+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a1e7a4f6fedaf4b34aa09dbffeba9d9-160.html#unique-entry-id-160</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a1e7a4f6fedaf4b34aa09dbffeba9d9-160.html#unique-entry-id-160</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week a brief article in my newspaper draw my attention to an upcoming paper by Devictor et al. in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, december 2008. 

...We have read more often about the changes in the fauna and flora due to the warming of the climate of course. 

...Incidentally a precursor to the same paper can be found under the title &ldquo;French birds lag behind climate warming&rdquo;, already posted on 29 October 2007 in Nature Precedings.   The basis of the paper is the Community Temperature Index, a measure calculated as the average of individual species temperature index (STI) per assemblage on a site. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (23): Placostylus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-04T16:34:50+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f105b69b142f00a4a7048d3b7c3e1270-159.html#unique-entry-id-159</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f105b69b142f00a4a7048d3b7c3e1270-159.html#unique-entry-id-159</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is actually not a Neotropical land snail, but until now is considered to belong to the same superfamily Orthalicoidea sensu lato.   Although the confusion still not has been solved adequately, I do follow the opinion of Eike Neubert and consider the Placostylidae as a separate family but related to the Neotropical orthalicids.


While several of these giants are endangered and some might be extinct, I will highlight species of which I have pictures of live animals. 

...This species can reach shell heights of up to 70 mm and is endemic to the island. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (6): J.J. Bravo</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-31T15:16:20+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/11be08fc9654efc02b0badb07176fbb7-158.html#unique-entry-id-158</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/11be08fc9654efc02b0badb07176fbb7-158.html#unique-entry-id-158</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n was kind enough to draw my attention to a hitherto unknown malacologist from Peru, Jos&eacute; Juli&aacute;n Bravo (1874-1927).


With a professional career in geology and geography, Bravo was one of those malacologists (like A.A.   Olsson) who collected shells &lsquo;on the fly&rsquo; when working in the field for other purposes.   So far, little is known about him other than the fact that he had contacts with collectors in Europe and USA, e.g. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New species (3): Bostryx from Peru</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-28T07:50:08+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4f474fd5e1e6dc23ed537c81aa5e58de-157.html#unique-entry-id-157</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4f474fd5e1e6dc23ed537c81aa5e58de-157.html#unique-entry-id-157</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the Gittenberger issue of Basteria there was finally a third contribution about Neotropical land snails, viz. a paper by Neubert and me about Bostryx. 

...As we were unable to locate the precise locality of the latter name, we have chosen this epithet which was also used by Weyrauch.


The second species is Bostryx granulatus spec.nov. and the reason for this name will be evident from the figure above. 

...Finally we described Bostryx edmundi spec.nov. for another species from the R&iacute;o Ca&ntilde;ete valley, which is somewhat variable but the morphometrics showed to be into one range.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (5): P.J. Berm&#xfa;dez</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-26T13:38:11+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cb39b5715d0fce44cf4d45b5170b231c-156.html#unique-entry-id-156</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cb39b5715d0fce44cf4d45b5170b231c-156.html#unique-entry-id-156</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I looked up some literature on the geology of Hispaniola, I came across a brief note on Pedro J. ...  He is known for his studies on benthic and planktonic foraminifera, but I learned that as a student he has collected many land snails for his Ph....  As there was a picture included that is more recent than the only one cited in the &lsquo;bible of malacological biohistory (Coan et al., 2007), I copy it here.


...& Lewis, J.F. (eds.), Gelogical and tectonic development of the North America-Caribbean Plate boundary in Hispaniola. - Geological Society of America, Special Paper 262: xix-xx.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New species (2): Clausiliidae</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-25T20:06:08+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8e6d288483d10ec7504256e7496f8585-155.html#unique-entry-id-155</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8e6d288483d10ec7504256e7496f8585-155.html#unique-entry-id-155</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the same issue of Basteria (the &lsquo;Festschrift Gittenberger&rsquo;) two new taxa were described by Jozef Grego and Mikl&oacute;s Szekeres from southern Colombia and central Peru. 


The first is Columbiana riedeli spec.nov. (holotype UF 410895) from Colombia, Dept. 

...The second is Temesa parcecostata dulacki subspec.nov. (holotype MUSM 4048), originating from Peru, Dept. 

...Two new clausiliids from South America (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Clausiliidae). - Basteria 72: 281-286.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>I have a dream...</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-24T07:34:22+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1ae8ca3f13182ac6b8c8578df8c852b9-154.html#unique-entry-id-154</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1ae8ca3f13182ac6b8c8578df8c852b9-154.html#unique-entry-id-154</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The European malacofauna is well known, although still from time to time some cryptic new species are discovered or new faunal elements reported. 

...The Dutch Malacological Society recently had the initiative to publish very practical overviews that even can be carried into the field for rapid identification of snails. 

...Perhaps in adapted form to allow for the multitude of species (less than 200 species in Holland), but still suitable for the general public.   Perhaps a field book or a poster or any other educational form that brings malacology to the attention of children and adults. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New species (1): Sterkia gittenbergeri</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-24T07:31:33+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/70330bcc87ec504434bce96f412a1465-150.html#unique-entry-id-150</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/70330bcc87ec504434bce96f412a1465-150.html#unique-entry-id-150</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The first species in this new series is a tribute both to the author and to the honoured person: Sterkia gittenbergeri Hausdorf, 2008.


...Amazonas, 20 km from Balsas on the road to Leymebamba. 

...There is a third person in play which I want to give credit, viz. 

...Sterkia gittenbergeri new species from Northern Peru (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Vertiginidae). - Basteria 72: 183-185.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New species&#x2c; new series</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-23T19:22:04+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/baddcc13eae07384d9cac3712077dc9a-149.html#unique-entry-id-149</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/baddcc13eae07384d9cac3712077dc9a-149.html#unique-entry-id-149</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is well-known: despite the fact that probably many species are condemned to extinction due to the &lsquo;biodiversity crisis&rsquo;, new species are described with great regularity.   Hence I will draw attention to any new species of land snail from the Neotropics, not only to highlight the increase of our knowledge but also as a commemoration of those species who have gone extinct, are endangered or are vulnerable.   Thanks to human&rsquo;s never lasting greediness.   See the Red List and my post on that topic.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More on rare snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-23T18:45:55+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2267079f466167c17a2ed24147da6eef-148.html#unique-entry-id-148</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2267079f466167c17a2ed24147da6eef-148.html#unique-entry-id-148</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The question is how &lsquo;naturally rare species&rsquo; () have persisted through evolutionary time, and whether particular characteristics have enabled them to avoid extinction in spite of their small ranges, low abundances and narrow habitat requirements. 


The first hypothesis, called favorable-environment hypothesis, states that naturally species live in benign environments, e.g. less-extreme climates or in largeer or less-fragmented habitats.   In the (Neo)tropics the climate may be more stable indeed, although some situations come to mind where naturally rare species live under extreme conditions, e.g. high in the p&aacute;ramos in the eastern Cordillera of Colombia. 

...The third, rapid-speciation, hypothesis supposes that naturally rare species do go extinct more frequently over evolutionary time than non rare species. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rare snails and climate</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-22T14:29:35+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/618bfe08955d61b2d8de3b05822df743-147.html#unique-entry-id-147</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/618bfe08955d61b2d8de3b05822df743-147.html#unique-entry-id-147</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Understanding the association of rare species with their habitats (flora, fauna and climatic requirements) is important for regions with a high biodiversity and endemism, especially if these are vulnerable for climatic change and other, more direct, human impacts. ...  Although these three aspects may vary independently, depending on the biota, available studies have found that often a high proportion of species in rare in all aspects. 

...According to Pfenninger (2004) the most relevant variables for the climatic tolerance of land snails are: minimum avaerage monthly precipitation, maximum annual temperature range between hottest and coldest month; minimum number of months with average daily temperatures above 10 degrees, maximum monthly average daily temperature and minimum monthly average daily temperature. 

...The results could be important for conservation policies and management, especially in biodiversity hotspots, although there is a vast literature base and the biodiversity field has received much attention. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Priority = time&#x2c; but place matters</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-21T08:41:30+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7b1e523e239510c29580d3ba8b855c4b-146.html#unique-entry-id-146</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7b1e523e239510c29580d3ba8b855c4b-146.html#unique-entry-id-146</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Especially since many scientists are longing to have their papers published in ISI-rated journals (the dream of many taxonomists is to have once a paper in Nature or Science, few are lucky enough to reach their goal). 

...In 2006 Christian Altaba described a fossil helicodontid from Mallorca as Darderia bellverica, and submitted his paper to a journal which was published early 2007. ...  The result was a discussion about the publication date*, largely due to the fact that both journals were published later than the year in which the volume was due.   This highlights the role of the editor and his sense for precision, viz. to clearly and correctly state the actual date of publication on the cover. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Red List and snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-19T16:13:32+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/96abccc7827e9ec66a541a688f12a08a-145.html#unique-entry-id-145</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/96abccc7827e9ec66a541a688f12a08a-145.html#unique-entry-id-145</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They are rated from Least Concern (LC), Near Threatened (NT), Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), Critically Endangered (CR), Extinct in the Wild (EW) or Extinct (EX). 

...2) although the Orthalicidae seem skewed in the Neotropical families, the endangered malacofauna of the Gal&aacute;pagos weighs in heavily because of the &lsquo;Darwin effect&rsquo; (the well known receive more attention). 


...The rates of deforestation are alarming and many species will probably never be recollected after their initial description in the 19th or early 20th century.   It is not without reason that I quote here Jens Hemmen, who confessed after a trip to Ecuador: &ldquo;This was the worst trip we ever made. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (22): Plagiodontes</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-18T09:19:03+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3ab1fdef1d2d753d06c3b5a64c0737f6-144.html#unique-entry-id-144</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3ab1fdef1d2d753d06c3b5a64c0737f6-144.html#unique-entry-id-144</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[More details later, but this is a (new) species of Plagiodontes from western Argentina.   These beautiful creature had his bad luck day, because after being photographed he was put in boiling water. ...  Not only it destroys DNA, you won&rsquo;t get the first prize from the Animal Rights Movement either... 

...Little could it know that the malacologist would inspect and dissect it. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (21): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-13T09:12:18+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b51f0f18b0d532d090969a71ea7af90b-143.html#unique-entry-id-143</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b51f0f18b0d532d090969a71ea7af90b-143.html#unique-entry-id-143</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On the same Flickr site I found two pictures of Drymaeus, which according to the information supplied, had been taken near Guatemala City. 


Drymaeus of Central America are very variable and many taxa have been described which may prove to be only colour forms.   An overview of all taxa has been published by Fred Thompson earlier this year.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (20): Liguus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-12T18:10:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6d583b2d6864ee34f294c2a32854cd48-142.html#unique-entry-id-142</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6d583b2d6864ee34f294c2a32854cd48-142.html#unique-entry-id-142</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While browsing through Flickr&rsquo;s nearly infinite database I saw a lot of snails.   They seem to stimulate people&rsquo;s creativeness, judging from the weird &lsquo;species&rsquo; you may encounter.   Besides that, the number of helices is overwhelming.   That said, I still found some gems and this is one of them: Liguus virgineus (L.)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New journal</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-11T09:42:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d841ebbfcd82d99ceda9126afed2b0af-141.html#unique-entry-id-141</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d841ebbfcd82d99ceda9126afed2b0af-141.html#unique-entry-id-141</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[ZooKeys is an open-access journal, which so far didn&rsquo;t exist entirely focussed on systematic zoology.   They do charge a little page charge (smaller than competitors), which however may be discounted or waived. 


Discounts and waivers will be offered to private and retired zoologists, as well as to scientists from low- and middle-level income developing countries (according to the World Bank classification).


...But unlike some other journals ZooKeys is not yet indexed due to its infancy (3 issues have been published till now), so if you need an impact factor to accelerate your career you have to look somewhere else until the journal have reached maturity. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A new book on Cuban land snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-08T17:03:28+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d0a815007961b233acbf4cf5ef33a302-140.html#unique-entry-id-140</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d0a815007961b233acbf4cf5ef33a302-140.html#unique-entry-id-140</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Cuba is known for its diversity in land snails, but until now no comprehensive book was available.   This seems to have changed recently, since I received notice of the new publication by Alejandro G. 

...Just a few pictures of Liguus from the brochure that was sent out today.


More on it later, when I&rsquo;ve seen the actual book.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (19): Gaeotis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-05T13:28:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6aa18f137fbacb6d0b942bb3c28fba42-139.html#unique-entry-id-139</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6aa18f137fbacb6d0b942bb3c28fba42-139.html#unique-entry-id-139</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Working on a paper on semi-slugs, I found two pictures in my archive of Gaeotis flavolineata Shuttleworth, 1854 from Puerto Rico.   They were kindly provided by Jozef Grego.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Symposium land snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-27T21:27:37+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e60d239688f98c9324953ebe2aed2fbe-138.html#unique-entry-id-138</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e60d239688f98c9324953ebe2aed2fbe-138.html#unique-entry-id-138</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today the Dutch Malacological Society held a symposium on land snails, commemorating the 65th birthday of Prof. ...  The programme of the symposium consisted of lectures by longstanding friends and colleagues or former PhD-students, all on various aspects of land snails. 

...At the end of the meeting Edi Gittenberger was awarded a special medal for his nearly 50 years of contributions to malacology.   And he was given the first copy of the &lsquo;Gittenberger Festschrift&rsquo; of Basteria, in which 32 papers are published by 43 authors, mostly on land molluscs. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Maxent and sample size</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-12T19:05:50+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3a64eb263c263d088639d843f881e86e-137.html#unique-entry-id-137</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3a64eb263c263d088639d843f881e86e-137.html#unique-entry-id-137</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[From earlier posts you may know that I&rsquo;m a fan of Maxent. ...  This time there was special emphasis on the performance with the use of a small number of occurrences. 

...This is certainly good news, but it doesn&rsquo;t solve a problem what I have with the modeling of endemic, range-restricted species. ...  But if anybody has an idea for an approach that could solve this nifty problem, please keep me posted! ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Weyrauch&#x27;s type localities</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-01T16:42:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0e8f132b27021052e659cdc84a658035-136.html#unique-entry-id-136</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0e8f132b27021052e659cdc84a658035-136.html#unique-entry-id-136</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Early this year I wrote about Weyrauch, one of the well-known malacologists dealing with Neotropical land snails.   Recently a paper was published by Barbosa et al. with a list of all taxa published by Weyrauch. ...  For various reasons, e.g. methodological, it is often desirable to have very precise georeferenced localities.   Therefore I have tried to locate as much of Weyrauch&rsquo;s type localities in the list here.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (18): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-08-27T22:31:12+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b49a500910ae62b12f0a5ef40bcfbcac-135.html#unique-entry-id-135</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b49a500910ae62b12f0a5ef40bcfbcac-135.html#unique-entry-id-135</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Roy McDiarmid, a herpetologist from the Smitsonian Institution, has been kind enough to send me some pictures of Plekocheilus species from the Cerro de la Neblina on the border of Venezuela and Brazil.   He lead expeditions to that area from 1983-1987 and supplied valuable information from his archives.


The snail depicted here is P.   (Eurytus) juliani Haas, 1955, described from the Chimant&aacute; massif in the eastern part of the Guayana Highlands.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>In Czech and some snailing</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-08-25T22:11:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2b071d8a444f87a5faadf455a9d8e675-134.html#unique-entry-id-134</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2b071d8a444f87a5faadf455a9d8e675-134.html#unique-entry-id-134</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Discounting days in Prague and for traveling, I had not much "field time" but did spend quite some time on preparing an upcoming presentation. 


In the central part of the country, near B&iacute;lkovice, I found a specimen of Arianta arbustorum on Urtica sp. during a walk. ...  But during an evening stroll near the same place after a drizzling day, snails were out and abundant. 

...Later, in the eastern part of the country, two specimens of Lehmannia marginata were spotted on a rock face in Orlick&eacute; National Park after a rainy day. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Experimenting</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-08-07T21:32:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/89c9aeeddebab24801136f9474a4ab80-133.html#unique-entry-id-133</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/89c9aeeddebab24801136f9474a4ab80-133.html#unique-entry-id-133</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although the method uses freeware (a big +) and the paper describes it clearly, I found the link between the methodological steps and the software rather cryptic.   With the help of one of the developers I managed to apply it to a wide-spread genus in South America. 

...My preliminary analysis revealed that there may be two groups involved, a "northern" and a "southern". 

...All in all, despite some hurdles, I found the method straightforward and leading quickly to results.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beauty is in the eye of the beholder</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-29T13:27:57+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/505d558ca47f2518d97f37055b6deb55-132.html#unique-entry-id-132</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/505d558ca47f2518d97f37055b6deb55-132.html#unique-entry-id-132</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dissecting and illustrating a snail may not be as easy as it seems, especially if you haven't practiced it anymore for so many years :-)


However, after a long day in the lab I managed to produce this drawing:


It is reasonably nice, but perhaps not more than just that.   Compare it e.g. to the illustrations that my friend Jaap Vermeulen uses for his papers, like this one:
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tepui fever</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-27T16:35:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/98dd30ac633b700516490b77455f598a-131.html#unique-entry-id-131</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/98dd30ac633b700516490b77455f598a-131.html#unique-entry-id-131</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I recently got some information on the habitats of snails from Venezuelan Guayana, I was curious to find some more details on the plants and scenery.   Although I have the introductory volume of the Flora of the Venzuelan Guayana, I wanted to see some more.   Quickly I discovered the important role of Charles Brewer-Car&iacute;as as an explorer of this area. 


Digging further I hit upon the site on a Czech speleologist who has been part of several expeditions, partly with Brewer-Car&iacute;as. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The end of theory: the end of taxonomy?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-26T11:24:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6cb9642a890a366587eac5235d0b5dc3-130.html#unique-entry-id-130</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6cb9642a890a366587eac5235d0b5dc3-130.html#unique-entry-id-130</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In his view this requires a complete different approach to science, discarding the idea that you first have a theory, derive a hypothesis from it and test it to falsify or not.


...In a series in NYT devoted to Darwin, Olivia Judson writes that "I&rsquo;m not sure he&rsquo;d enjoy analyzing DNA sequences &mdash; he might find it a bit too abstracted from the living organism &mdash; but I think he&rsquo;d be delighted to learn the results.   I think he would be shocked by how much we know about the so-called model organisms &mdash; worms, toads, fruit flies, mice, humans and the bacterium E. coli &mdash; and how little we know about everything else. 

...What he meant to say in his article, was that with the current day possibilities we have a new scientific tool which challenge the tradition of first having the theory and then the experiment. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why habitat information matters</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-24T14:36:53+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d266b1744de3fc12697619c626321e4a-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d266b1744de3fc12697619c626321e4a-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There has been some discussion in the literature about what causes carination, and the habitat seems one of the factors in play.   Therefore, I found it interesting that the site gave some habitat information on one of the species for which I didn't have data yet. 

...I decided to contact the collector, a befriended couple who have travelled a lot in Latin America and whose collecting data are always very precise and trustworthy. ...  Instead collected on rocks, the specimens had been found as subfossils in a desert-like area. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>From one canopy to another</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-21T20:21:01+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c935307868071130dc9de07f734b66d-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c935307868071130dc9de07f734b66d-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Besides some general sections, e.g. on indigenous people and biodiversity, there is a wealth of information on deforestation and data per country. ...  FAO, UNEP and WorldWatch Institute, but there is a detailed list of references for each section. 

...It provides also a wealth of pictures, both from undisturbed forests and from deforestation. ...  Snails are missing, but I have to admit, you must be keen on them to spot them and the conditions have to be right :-)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bromeliads&#x2c; beetles and snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-21T10:52:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8fa5e8dadc1bdea7d5e4f03c80b0999f-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8fa5e8dadc1bdea7d5e4f03c80b0999f-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The second group comprises Simpulopsis species, and although most have been described without mentioning of their habitat, given their locations and the association with bromeliads of some of them, I have a strong suspicion that several species might be associated with tank bromeliads. ...  The same might be true for S. corrugatus Guppy, 1866 from Trinidad and several species reported from the east coast of Brazil (Atlantic Forest, or what is left of it).


...They studied a group of beetles that occurs in small water bodies in tropical forests, but a small subset of them is specialized to the water reservoirs of tank bromeliads. ...  The other two lineages that are associated with these plants are thought to be more recent expansions into the tank water habitat.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (17): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-19T08:59:57+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/511f0d1e991740c3c9e65a1f19360c35-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/511f0d1e991740c3c9e65a1f19360c35-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Roy McDiarmid (Smithsonian Institution) kindly sent me some information on the expedition to the Cerro de Neblina massif on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, in 1984-1985.   As it is a remote area that is difficult to access, it has remained malacologically unknown. 


One of the specimens he found there is this Drymaeus species:
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Andes</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-19T08:16:25+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/979fd599d328987fedae61dc80e173a2-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/979fd599d328987fedae61dc80e173a2-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Searching the web I came across some specialized websites that provide access to a further array of sources. ...  Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be updated anymore and I found various "dead links".


One of the interesting links that did work, was on p&aacute;ramos in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. ...  Very nice pictures both of the landscape and of plants in the Andes of M&eacute;rida, can be found in the image gallery of the Programa Andes Tropicales.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Fragmentation and de-snail-ation</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-18T09:23:23+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a1031998b51f0a9978e13153548bbc7d-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a1031998b51f0a9978e13153548bbc7d-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although deforestation rates are said to be relatively low compared to those in South-East Asia (Mayaux et al. 2005), it is apparent from remote sensing data that large areas of deforestation are to be found in the foothills of the Andes. 

...While some have questioned the deforestation rates, also non-forest habitats are converted at a large extent.   Thus, the 1222 species of terrestrial snails on the Red List (Lydeard et al. 2004) seem to me a gross underestimation.


The effects on the snail fauna in the Pacific is well documented (partly invasive species demanded their toll too), but the effect of large-scale deforestation in Latin America seem to have passed unnoticed. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Is there a relation with deforestation?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-17T20:23:04+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8628695f64bc7c8343feb580786c43dc-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8628695f64bc7c8343feb580786c43dc-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is pure speculation, but just as with Ecuador, I suspect a correlation between deforestation and the "missing re-occurrences" of many once described snail species in Colombia.   One would expect that human impact on the land cover change must have its toll also in the malacofauna. 

...But what is also clear from the figure, is the large area of cleared forests (gray).   Of course it will depend to some extent in what the new land use is, but arboreal species will prove to be vulnerable (to say the least). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Where one snail goes...?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-16T11:55:27+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f73929597531246ac10746eb6c4755b0-122.html#unique-entry-id-122</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f73929597531246ac10746eb6c4755b0-122.html#unique-entry-id-122</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I had to think about when I read about Ecuador's Constitutional Assemblage who approved last week articles that "recognize rights for nature and ecosystems". 

...It fits very well with the recent observations by Jens Hemmen: "Most of the localities mentioned in the older literature are destroyed by clearing. ...  This could be certainly one of the explanations why so many species have not been recollected after their initial description in this country. 

...Snails and their value in ecosystems are much less known and this is a vast area open for further research. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another garden slug&#x2c; new to science</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-14T07:55:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/018a554fb045b354b2b3d96af6aaad85-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/018a554fb045b354b2b3d96af6aaad85-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Incidentally the morning post brought me another piece of European malacological news. ...  It is an eyeless species that probably originates from caves and is supposed to be introduced in plant pots.   The radula shows that it is carnivorous and the species is reported to feed on earthworms. 


...Update: the paper by Rowson & Symondson describing the new species can be found in Journal of Conchology 39: 537-552.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Garden slug</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-13T15:24:59+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a2943d43d7d8ceb6f0ce83bb636eef7-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6a2943d43d7d8ceb6f0ce83bb636eef7-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This time a change of focus out of the Neotropics.


While doing some gardening, this reddish-brown Arion ater (L., 1758) came to light.   This omnivorous species can also attack living plants although it is said to feed mostly on dedritus.   I found it when I removed a Berberis sp., only a single specimen. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Orthalicus as a pest</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-11T12:02:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d1c27813f75fdf4d6de2b7ccb7268285-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d1c27813f75fdf4d6de2b7ccb7268285-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Searching for literature about snails as pest species, I came across a paper* describing Orthalicus maracaibensis (Pfeiffer, 1856) attacking Citrus spp. 

...Update: Carl Christensen sent me this paper of Deisler, who states that tree snails may be beneficial "because they feed on epiphytic growths."   The only other record I have on Orthalicoidea as agricultural pests,  is this paper by Stange.   He cites that Amphibulima patula dominicanus Pilsbry, 1899 has been reported as feeding on citrus.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dead but still interesting</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-09T11:38:39+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7338ebc08a197e9b098cd08f2b379ce6-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7338ebc08a197e9b098cd08f2b379ce6-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some months ago, Francisco Borrero found many dead shells in a field near the airport of Catamyo, Prov. ...  While it resembles Naesiotus quitensis (Pfeiffer, 1848) in shell shape, it may actually be a Bostryx species, possibly B. juana (Coussin, 1887) [to be confirmed after inspection of the material]. 


...Interesting, however, is the fact that it is part of a larger system of small interandean valleys, with a dry climate but occasionally flooded after rains. 


...I remember having found similar conditions in Colombia, where Naesiotus gerenorum (Breure, 1977) and N. jullensorum (Breure, 1977) were collected in Dept. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The tail of a snail: more on Achatina</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-08T07:17:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/df78bd211f6ff555ca157cad85dcfe1b-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/df78bd211f6ff555ca157cad85dcfe1b-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Modesto Correoso, the only person who is doing serious work on land snails in Ecuador, kindly drew my attention to the fact that in 2005 he purchased some specimens of Lissachatina fulica on a market in Esmeraldas (northwestern Ecuador) and this fact was picked up by a journalist of the newspaper El Comercio.


...However, from this blog entry it may be clear that L. fulica has now reached a pest status several hundreds kilometers west of the locality reported on by Martinez. 

...Don&rsquo;t waste your time if it hasn&rsquo;t rained for 2 or 3 days but if it rains off and on and is overcast much of the day the snails will be out foraging. ...  If you go out at 5 a.m. you will likely be able to collect 6 to 700 per hour through to 8 a.m. when you will no longer find enough to warrant the effort. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A poor man&#x27;s science?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-07T16:26:35+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fccce9428e43e401d5ad530b0c51abc9-116.html#unique-entry-id-116</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fccce9428e43e401d5ad530b0c51abc9-116.html#unique-entry-id-116</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This time, not one of the thrilling new findings that make it to the headlines from time to time.   But about one of the essences of taxonomic work: identifying new species and giving them a proper name.


While it is not uncommon for any taxonomist to use the names of friends and esteemed colleagues, this is quite something else. 

...If I ever thought that taxonomy is a poor man's science, this is the sad proof!
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Achatina in Ecuador</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-02T09:08:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0c805edd2c85d625d49648d48352a25-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0c805edd2c85d625d49648d48352a25-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Update: Thanks to Carl Christensen, who found the following text in a newsletter of a tourist information organisation, we now know that already in 2005 Achatina must have been established in the country:


...On the basis of publications about the thaumaturgy of the cream made of the secretion, there has been a development of a parallel market along the streets of the coast that does not apply to any regulations. 


...The situation is been aggravated by the fact that the Giant African Snail looks very similar to the Ecuadorian Amazonian breed (Strophocheilus popelairianius) which is close to extinction! 


...In some countries such as the USA, Australia, Canada, China and Israel the breed and import of the snails is illegal &ndash; whereas its flesh is much liked by the Italians and Spaniards.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>AMS2008</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-30T07:40:45+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fc48fa06a274284f5d9bd15ee91033d1-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fc48fa06a274284f5d9bd15ee91033d1-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week the Annual Meeting of the American Malacological Society is being held in Carbondale.   One of the themes is the Leslie Hubricht memorial symposium on terrestrial snails.   Francisco Borrero will deliver today the presentation that we both worked on:


I'll be 'virtually present' to support him :-)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Network analysis in biogeography</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-27T16:58:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ed9d39e46943d776b83cdd380381fbe5-112.html#unique-entry-id-112</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ed9d39e46943d776b83cdd380381fbe5-112.html#unique-entry-id-112</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the last issue of Systematic Biology there is a paper of Dos Santos et al.*, describing a new methodology to find patterns of sympatry with the use of a network model analysis. ...  The paper proposes some new definitions (sympatry, intermediate species) and offers a new tool, Network Analysis Method (NAM), as an add-on to the statistical package R (freeware, open source). 


...When applied to land snails, Epiphragmophora, I find the results convincing, despite the fact that occurrence records from single localities (qu, es, vi, pl in figure a below) are not taken into account. 

...In total I think that this is a promising methodology and I look forward to see new applications of it to Neotropical land snails.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (16): Drymaeus </title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-26T16:26:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ab72a03b87af680fd38e434ce0f5c8f-111.html#unique-entry-id-111</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ab72a03b87af680fd38e434ce0f5c8f-111.html#unique-entry-id-111</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Drymaeus aequatorianus (E.A.   Smith, 1877) was until recently only known from "Ecuador".   In collections it was found from two specified localities in Ecuador, but recently Francisco Borrero found it alive near Mindo.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (15): Thaumastus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-22T20:06:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/639f3cd92a42e0eb86656441c3eaa1ba-110.html#unique-entry-id-110</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/639f3cd92a42e0eb86656441c3eaa1ba-110.html#unique-entry-id-110</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another photograph of the series that I received from Francisco Borrero.   This time from Ecuador, Prov.   Zamora-Chinchipe, Tapichalaca.   It depicts Thaumastus (Kara) thompsonii (Pfeiffer, 1845).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Social Networking</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-21T16:40:43+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0c892b0ce6e506cbcccb9d637c1bb1e-109.html#unique-entry-id-109</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f0c892b0ce6e506cbcccb9d637c1bb1e-109.html#unique-entry-id-109</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although it may seem to be off topic, it is perhaps interesting to know that I joined the Scoutle network. ...  Then visit the website for a clear and crisp explanation!


One of the websites I came across when wandering through their Guide, was JunglePhotos.   Devoted to nature conservation etc., it contains some very nice pictorial material on Amazonia, the Gal&aacute;pagos and Ecuador in general. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Checklist of Mexico and Central America</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-21T12:36:29+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2a53f1fc144c474b14901144cbb662bb-108.html#unique-entry-id-108</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2a53f1fc144c474b14901144cbb662bb-108.html#unique-entry-id-108</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This week Fred Thompson published his Checklist and bibliography of the land and freshwater snails of Mexico and Central America.   It is a very impressive work, bringing together all information on taxa from this vast and interesting area. 

...And it will be an invaluable source of reference and future research, both in the short and long term. 


By making the publication free online at the website of the Florida Museum of Natural History, it will undoubtedly stimulate the interest of malacologists in Mexico and Central America.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (14): Porphyrobaphe</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-20T07:45:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/685da3836ef2b0c01e1a857848dfdd17-107.html#unique-entry-id-107</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/685da3836ef2b0c01e1a857848dfdd17-107.html#unique-entry-id-107</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is Porphyrobaphe (P.) iris (Pfeiffer, 1852), found at Colombia, Dept.   Riseralda, Sanctuario de Fauna y Flora Otun-Quimbaya.   The picture was talen by Gustavo Kattan; courtesy of Francisco Borrero.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (13): Simpulopsis</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-19T15:23:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d4206c3f246d85ba2e3bf9492d08251d-106.html#unique-entry-id-106</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d4206c3f246d85ba2e3bf9492d08251d-106.html#unique-entry-id-106</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Here is another picture that Francisco Borrero took while in Ecuador.   It depicts Simpulopsis (Eudiotus) citrinovitreas (Moricand, 1836) near Mindo, Prov.   Pichincha.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (12): A snail twin</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-15T14:05:14+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/503d1db07e234473fa5ea98b319892d4-105.html#unique-entry-id-105</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/503d1db07e234473fa5ea98b319892d4-105.html#unique-entry-id-105</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This one is from a pair of snails (probably Sultana sp.) which were said to have been collected locally around Mindo, Prov. 

...Christensen suggested that this species may be Achatina fulica, the Giant African Snail which is an agricultural pest and an intermediate host of angiostrongyliasis, a zoonose that may cause meningitis.   Carl kindly drew my attention to the fact that these snails now seem to be cultured in Ecuador and are exported as "Chinese Escargot". 


CORPEI is a private nonprofit institution, regarded by the Government of Ecuador "as the official body of the promotion of exports and investments of Ecuador". ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>You win some and you lose some?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-03T21:32:00+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/57bf291c5122c7b6dc68f92cd95ad4a3-104.html#unique-entry-id-104</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/57bf291c5122c7b6dc68f92cd95ad4a3-104.html#unique-entry-id-104</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I wrote before on the material of Weyrauch and, although his localities are usually rather precise, I feel a bit stuck on the Rio Rimac valley material, by lack of adequate collecting data.   Not only is it important to have precise localities (in this case very precise), I would recommend every collector to make additional field notes on habitat (occurrence on vertical or horizontal faces*) and other ecological data.   Since all possible notes have been destroyed after his death by his ignorant spouse, we will never know where Weyrauch collected some of his material and in which habitats.


...My applications for the Synthesys programma, viz. to study type material in London, Berlin and Stockholm, have all been rejected.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-16T21:01:57+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4f50d562e6794b8a4ce7793f15efb78d-102.html#unique-entry-id-102</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4f50d562e6794b8a4ce7793f15efb78d-102.html#unique-entry-id-102</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I decided to buy it, since I'm intrigued by the 'Lost World' and it's one of my research topics. ...  The history of botanical exploration is laid out in chapter 2, covering well-known explorers from the past (Alexander von Humboldt, Aim&eacute; Bonpland, Robert Schomburgk) as well as more recent ones (William Phelps, Julian Steyermark, Paul Berry). 

...Further details on the remaining volumes can be found on the website of the project, where also a photo gallery presents a nice impression of the area.


I was very impressed by all the data and the nice photos in the book, which will serve as a very useful reference work during my research.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mixing morphology&#x2c; taxonomy and genetics</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-15T20:49:34+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3d4021574e4254fa45ff44c9d7e1616c-101.html#unique-entry-id-101</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3d4021574e4254fa45ff44c9d7e1616c-101.html#unique-entry-id-101</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In one of her papers she analyses the complexity of the carrefour, based on a comparative study in 47 snail species, two of which are Orthalicids. ...  These were taken from literature (Wade et al., 2006), but I was surprised that the source of these data seemed completely inadequately quoted: 


...Now on this subject it is quite interesting as she distinguishes four types of carrefour qua complexity and links that to shell size, longevity, reproductive strategy and habitat preference. 

...Upon searching for the source of confusion, it appeared that the data on the anatomy of the carrefour (derived from Van Mol, 1971) have been mingled with data on sequences (as used by Wade et al., 2006). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (11): Coloniconcha</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-15T16:01:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d44600a45f8029111f4f742c44f3cbc8-100.html#unique-entry-id-100</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d44600a45f8029111f4f742c44f3cbc8-100.html#unique-entry-id-100</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Jozef Grego sent me a photograph, which he had received from Pedro Genaro, a naturalist from Dominican Republic and an excellent photographer.   As I don't want to infringe on his copyrights, I have made a direct link.   And you absolutely should do, as it is really a very artistic picture and a very interesting blog!


In fact it is Coloniaconcha prima Pilsbry, 1932 and when I received the first picture made by Eladio Fernandez, another excellent photographer and naturalist from the same country, it looked so strikingly like a Gaeotis (occurring on Puerto Rico), that I'm still not decided yet on the basis of the pictures alone. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Zootaxa paper</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-14T11:53:55+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7f0543733779a003711712c3fb15285a-99.html#unique-entry-id-99</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7f0543733779a003711712c3fb15285a-99.html#unique-entry-id-99</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today my first paper after too many years of scientific silence (or more precisely, malacological silence) has been published.   It is co-authored with Francisco Borrero and appeared in Zootaxa.   This journal calls itself "the most rapid journal for systematic zoologists".   Well, this paper took at least 6 months from the time of submittance and I know for sure that another journal will beat this time with 2 months :-) Just wait and see later this year...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lagging behind</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-14T09:49:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4b48c54e2603e2ab2085d00ba8433208-98.html#unique-entry-id-98</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/4b48c54e2603e2ab2085d00ba8433208-98.html#unique-entry-id-98</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The past few days I had no internet connection at home, which was very uneasy right after the long Pentacote weekend.   I feel I'm lagging behind, although I had quite some backlog with literature and references that partly was done during these days.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biomapper</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-08T21:14:50+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9566445f66add6ef041829f7eb3ad370-97.html#unique-entry-id-97</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9566445f66add6ef041829f7eb3ad370-97.html#unique-entry-id-97</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Their discussion forum, however, is very informative, issuing regularly an update on recent literature dealing with ENFA or Biomapper. 

...(2008) Predicting the potential distribution of invasive ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri in northern Belgium using an ecological niche modelling approach. 

...(2008) Estimating the population size of an endangered shorebird, the Madagascar plover, using a habitat suitability model. 

...of habitat suitability modelling to tracking data of marine animals as a means of analyzing their feeding habitats. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The choice of a model</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-07T17:01:25+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/38cb57c53765db5166d42894cbf4cbe3-96.html#unique-entry-id-96</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/38cb57c53765db5166d42894cbf4cbe3-96.html#unique-entry-id-96</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is not the most recent piece of literature, but I came across a paper of Wintle et al. (2005)* that neatly gives an overview of the choice of different models in relation to the availability of data.


...3) Presence-absence data, when localitions that are occupied or unoccupied by a given species are recorded, usually in a systematic way, involving some level of geographical and environmental stratification in the sampling design.   There are a number of models available (see the paper for references), but comparative studies have found  that logistic regression is relatively well performing.


Two other categories can be distinguished, viz. models usable for counts (when actual numbers of individuals are available) and ordinal categorical data (using coarse abundance categories). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Euromalac2008</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-06T21:44:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1aa816ce3d417df922d6b6c061791264-95.html#unique-entry-id-95</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1aa816ce3d417df922d6b6c061791264-95.html#unique-entry-id-95</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not a Neotropical subject per s&eacute;, but I do want to draw your attention that the 5th Congress of the European Malacological Societies will be held from 2-6 September in Ponta Delgada, San Miguel, Azores.   One of the keynote speakers is Robert Cameron on 'Time, space and very slow motion: patterns in the diversity of snails'. 

...As there is no travel budget at Naturalis for associate researchers I will not attend, but still it is interesting to know this upcoming gathering.   Full details can be found on the congress website.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (10): Corona</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-05-01T11:54:44+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c6c6ffdd2bce77f6831a754b8695f3ab-94.html#unique-entry-id-94</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c6c6ffdd2bce77f6831a754b8695f3ab-94.html#unique-entry-id-94</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last year Gabriela Cuezzo was so kind to send me a photograph that she took during a visit to Los Amigos, near Maldonado, Peru.   It is a specimens of Corona regina (Ferussac, 1821).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (9): Bostryx</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-30T10:57:27+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5d77614c3bb13f33846c0565345a7f63-93.html#unique-entry-id-93</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5d77614c3bb13f33846c0565345a7f63-93.html#unique-entry-id-93</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To finish my series on Peruvian Bostryx, today a picture of another species found in the Rio Ca&ntilde;ete valley.   It  is known under a Weyrauch manuscript-name.


Botryx granulatus WeyrauchMS
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Another &#x27;living laboratory&#x27;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-28T10:17:13+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/84594eb713ea61c582426b7c26a9da70-92.html#unique-entry-id-92</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/84594eb713ea61c582426b7c26a9da70-92.html#unique-entry-id-92</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While I have mentioned the Rio Rimac valley as a 'living laboratory' here and here, I should also mention a parellel valley somewhat further to the south: the valley of the Rio Ca&ntilde;ete. 

...But even when snails go less 'wild' it may become interesting, as shown by this series of shells, from two localities in the Rio Ca&ntilde;ete valley at 2200 resp. 3300 m altitude: 


...Anyway, my final verdict is that these shells all belong to the same species (and a hitherto undescribed one).   But indeed, it would be very interesting to be able to visit this 'living laboratory' again and investigate the biological processes behind all these shells and genes 'going wild'.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Puzzles taxonomists have to solve</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-26T10:29:57+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c75461f3a4260c3625c1b2fd6bbaf32c-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c75461f3a4260c3625c1b2fd6bbaf32c-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While in 1979* I needed some 20 species to depict this variation, in the material collected by Weyrauch I found specimens from one locality covering nearly the whole range.


...That is not only taxonomically relevant to observe (found apart one would call these shells separate species), but raises a number of other questions as well. 

...This is apparently the material to which Weyrauch referred in his 1956 paper*: "As I will illustrate in a later paper [which he never published], the variation in a population of a new subspecies of Bostryx eremothauma (Pilsbry) comprises all forms hitherto placed in the polyphyletic 'shape-types' of Peronaeus, Ataxus, Lissoacme, Platybostryx and Discobostryx [at the time that Weyrauch wrote this, these were all considered as subgenera of Bostryx; now synonyms of Bostryx sensu lato].   This great variation of shape, not observed in any other species of land shells, agress with the still greater diversification of shapes in different species of the genus Bostryx. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Productive silence</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-24T09:58:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e4166ef5551203cfde996ce146d28d1e-90.html#unique-entry-id-90</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e4166ef5551203cfde996ce146d28d1e-90.html#unique-entry-id-90</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[What for you seems to be silence on my behalf (this blog actually being published on 2 May), was actually a holiday in the Belgian Ardennes where I did not have access to the internet.   Not that it would have been impossible, but I just happen to have a mobile phone account without internet.   So I'm having some quiet days here with part of my family and meanwhile I'm working hard to get the manuscript of Weyrauch's Bostryx MS-names finished as the deadline is rapidly approaching. 


I also took some material with me from Venezuela and loaded my laptop with some additional literature. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Phylogeographer</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-20T21:08:56+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e5778e033f0894b389c473c38c3b25cb-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e5778e033f0894b389c473c38c3b25cb-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Phylogeographer is designed to test phylogeographic hypotheses, allowing the hypotheses to be converted into distance matrices.   These can be used to calculate correlations between various hypotheses and genetic distance matrices. 

...The (condensed) information on the homepage suggests that this piece of software is relatively easy to operate, once you stick to some basic requirements (formats).   One of the big advantages is that it runs under Java, so platform-independent.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Treebase</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-20T20:10:13+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/021cd39663701d8d4187b1f2770e4401-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/021cd39663701d8d4187b1f2770e4401-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Google Earth (GE) has been mentioned in this blog several times or at least I have shown results using this nifty piece of software. 


Today I stumbled upon the site of the CIPRES project, one of its aims is the development of TreeBASE II, re-engineered to allow for the use of GE. ...  I know it is a small diversion from the theme of this blog, but it's nice to see the work of a friend and colleague being used in an innovative way.


The site also allows for uploads of trees, I suppose they will potentially be included as examples in a next version. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Online databases</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-17T19:26:27+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c6e0ab751863e2f31a10d23f4e8dbda2-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c6e0ab751863e2f31a10d23f4e8dbda2-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Undoubtedly a great help and I wished there were even more of them, but at the same time it has to be recognized that the content cannot always be trusted. 

...I have seen some quite good results when I consulted their Australian data on Bulimulidae, but when I searched for data on South American species the results were poor. ...  Here is a list of the databases that I have consulted quite frequently during my current research.


...However, there are currently only three malacological collections accessible (although I regularly encountered server errors): INPA-Mollusca (Man&aacute;us, Amazonas), UFES-Malacologia (Vit&oacute;ria, Esp&iacute;rito Santo) and ZUEC-GAS (Unversidade de UNICAMP, Campinas, S&atilde;o Paulo). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Specialization and speciation (cont&#x27;d)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-16T19:13:42+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51e97b7fcae3b3c542ac8c28ed420150-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/51e97b7fcae3b3c542ac8c28ed420150-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The other conclusion of Patten that make me think, is that "lowered genetic variance associated with specialization may also lead to extended periods during which generalists beget specialists and specialists beget more specialists but during which few generalists evolve. 

...Or could one say that certain 'life styles' (e.g. arboreal versus under stones or feeding on rocks) are to be considered more specialized? 

...Because of their reduced ability to evolve, specialists are more likely than generalists to pay the price when, say, climate or habitat changes rapidly."   This is an interesting hypothesis, especially when fossils are good represented in a group and they could tell us something about the position on the generalist-specialist continuum. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Specialization and speciation</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-15T16:41:21+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c9bcbac635d3739d479a5c3b920c78f9-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c9bcbac635d3739d479a5c3b920c78f9-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The title refers to an interesting recently commentary in the Journal of Biogeography*, where Michael Patten argues that speciation and specialization are the same phenomenon. 

...In most cases one have to think in geological timescales to imagine how these subtle differences lead to larger differences and effective speciation comes into play.


...The only thing you know is that they all occur in the same region, more or less at the same altitude, but at two sides of a river. 

...It would be nice to study these populations genetically to see to what extent the morphological differences can be explained. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (8): Dryptus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-13T15:45:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e91894ff41023fb7452bf9506d11defb-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/e91894ff41023fb7452bf9506d11defb-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I show a recently received picture of Dryptus marmoratus (Dunker, 1844) from Venezuela, Estado Aragua, National Park 'Henri Pittier', made in January 2008.


Photo by Jozef Steffek
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (7): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-12T15:04:31+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1b7dae6639a203125a56a85d1ace6d8b-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1b7dae6639a203125a56a85d1ace6d8b-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This photo was made in Peru, Dept.   Hu&aacute;nuco, near Tingo Maria, Cuevas de las Pavas.   It shows Drymaeus (D.) serratus (Pfeiffer, 1855). 

...Photo by Valent&iacute;n Mogoll&oacute;n
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (6): Drymaeus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-11T14:28:09+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/07a11ea7078d1b80b9406bb2b417ec17-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/07a11ea7078d1b80b9406bb2b417ec17-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The following photograph was received for ID.   It is from Fuik Bay on Curacao and depicts Drymaeus (Mesembrinus) multilineatus (Say, 1825).


Photo by Marcus Coltro
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (5): semi-slug</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-08T10:12:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/05e3792510a3323833f950c8d3fee80d-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/05e3792510a3323833f950c8d3fee80d-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I'm posting two pictures of a hitherto unidentified semi-slug.   The animal was encountered by Clayton Kern during a hiking trip up in the mountains on Dominica. 


Any suggestions on the ID are welcome.


Thanks Clayton for the pics.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gondwana: the debate continues</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-06T21:20:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce3dc63566562386afbd9413da1dbc41-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ce3dc63566562386afbd9413da1dbc41-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[d) 'Trans-oceanic dispersal model' following investigations of divergence times for species living on different continents and comparing them with the ages of the oceanic barriers between them.


From a theoretical point of view two phenomena have largely been ignored in biogeographical analyses: distributional noise (created by sampling errors) and the effect of geodispersal producing multiple signals. 

...E.g. he criticizes the lack of uncertainty in calibration of ages of fossil taxa (divergence times should be given with a confidence interval) and the calibration of molecular clocks using the age of geographical barriers.   Different groups produce different patterns because of genuine biological processes (e.g. their difference in dispersal mechanism), but it is likely that partly the debate is flawed by ambiguities caused by distributional noise and multiple signals. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Accepted&#x21;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-03T15:23:58+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2118becd78e45364e33541154de5ec11-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2118becd78e45364e33541154de5ec11-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although it has taken a while (submitted 19 November 2007, revised version 19 February), it was a very instructive experience.   After all, it is more than 20 years ago that my last scientific paper was published.   One thing is for sure, the editing process demands now a lot more of authors than it used to be...


...Some figures that partially will go with it are below, illustrating the localities and the main results.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (4): Stenostylus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-02T21:02:28+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cb5dd32aecec3272acc547540a07a9ad-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cb5dd32aecec3272acc547540a07a9ad-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Later this year you will see this picture again in an upcoming paper on enigmatic species.   It was taken by Antoine M.   Cleef in Colombia, P&aacute;ramo de Almorzadero, 4200 m.


Stenostylus nigrolimbatus (Pfeiffer, 1854)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More on old maps</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-04-01T08:13:41+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/37a1f31e90c1971b8d07e06792cf10fb-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/37a1f31e90c1971b8d07e06792cf10fb-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While I was looking for old maps indicating the province of Orinoco in Venezuela, I came across some other maps which quite interesting show the political changes in South America.   Since you never know where these maps will end up and for how long they will be displayed on the internet I copy them here as future reference for researchers.


...Mapa de los tres Departamentos Venezuela, Cundinamarca y Ecuador que formaron la Republica de Colombia, para servir a la historia de las campanas de la guerra de independencia en los a&ntilde;os de 1821, 1822 y 1823. 

...Finally one more map on Venezuela, with two versions, one from the early 19th c. and one from the mid-1800's. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (3): Amphibulima</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-31T16:25:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c09b06fc924b6c33b2404309f97ee35-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1c09b06fc924b6c33b2404309f97ee35-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just received some photo's from someone who was in Dominica and hiked high in the mountains there.   He took several pictures of snails, one of which is this Amphibulima patula (Brugui&egrave;re, 1789)


Photo: Clayton Kern]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Comments welcome&#x21;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-31T10:51:46+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3a2a227161ef50e08e0c4f6616579d40-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3a2a227161ef50e08e0c4f6616579d40-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Comments have now been switched on in my blog.   I look forward to see your reactions :-)


<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.haloscan.com/comments/breure/snailblog/?  m=1" />]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Old maps never die</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-31T10:07:38+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/56d6ca3ecf0119c8c98f99279f32e39d-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/56d6ca3ecf0119c8c98f99279f32e39d-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Once again an old map shed light on the type locality of a species described in the early 19th century.   This time I was wondering where "Reipublicae Venezuela, Provinciae Cumana, juxta vicum Caripe, in vicinitate cavernae Guacharo" could be located. 

...In modern Venezuela administrative boundaries have changed and a Province Cuman&aacute; no longer exist (subdivisions in this country are called Estado or State).   The place Caripe can still be located and there is even a 'Caripe Viejo', referring to an old place with that name. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Choose your colour</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-30T15:59:52+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dadcfcea41161513da262b59f122d4eb-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dadcfcea41161513da262b59f122d4eb-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the blogosphere there is a battle going on which invertebrate group is better, mollusks or echinoderms.   Although this is clearly pertaining to the marine members, I wouldn't be a good malacologist if I didn't choose for mollusks :-) But hey, we will always lose the battle when we start counting numbers of species going extinct.   More than 100,000 seems a fair number, but arthropods are said to start at 5,000,000.   Are we speaking about numbers only? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day (2): Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-28T18:13:59+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5f6bcd3885edcf76234960d4c23e8b59-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5f6bcd3885edcf76234960d4c23e8b59-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I even have two new photographs (and more coming), thanks to the courtesy of Toine Cleef who searched through his old slides from field work.


This time a rather common species from the Bogot&aacute; region, Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) succinoides (Petit, 1840), taken at P&aacute;ramo de la Rusia, Colombia.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>CLAMA is here again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-25T11:15:02+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ff4261de7e6522f1e0b7de3dfbd3eb3e-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ff4261de7e6522f1e0b7de3dfbd3eb3e-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The seventh Latin American Congress of Malacology (VII CLAMA) will be held at Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, from November 3 to 7, 2008.   These congresses on Neotropical malacology are held every three years and cover a wide range of topics.


Further information can be found on the CLAMA website.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Words of wisdom</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-25T10:09:28+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3ec6d076dccc173f55dd8d4ec6795c51-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3ec6d076dccc173f55dd8d4ec6795c51-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Its only aim is to present an overview and to bring together in one place what might be scattered in a wide array of literature. 

..."Also, in all but a few instances I have not included new locality records, even though the [...] collection contains many new records. ...  Here the point implies a trade-off between on the one hand presenting quality data only, having useful data that could part turn out erroneous to stay unnoticed in collections and on the other hand, presenting all available data, scrutinized as good as possible, hoping to keep the number of errors within limits.


...Just make sure that you don't include the obvious misidentifications and illogical new distribution records that may be based on them. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Scattered sources&#x2c; partial view</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-24T11:49:11+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fc81176166a7506459d57b6c927e2302-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fc81176166a7506459d57b6c927e2302-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Searching for sources about Dutch malacologists who have contributed to our knowledge of tropical land snails, I found some scattered sources. ...  Besides a bibliography he lists many malacologists and data on biographies, collection whereabouts and in some cases portraits.   It is hoped that Coan et al. have covered these data in their magnificent 2400 years of malacology, as web sites tend to be transient.


...They appeared to be geologists (Wilhelm Reiss, Alfons St&uuml;bel) or botanists (Gustav Wallis) who travelled through South America primarily for other interests and made some collections on their way.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blessing or disguise?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-17T15:18:54+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a0867ff1451b327ff09b84f51ee9dc8c-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a0867ff1451b327ff09b84f51ee9dc8c-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So far in biology IT has been more a blessing in disguise, opening up tremendous opportunities in different field and making us all far more productive. 


...The opening of the ZooBank is the latest milestone in cybertaxonomy, requiring all new names and papers to be registered in their official registry.


In Zootaxa recently the first paper appeared that described new species registered in ZooBank and also made use of several other modern bioinformatic tools, like MorphBank, links to online collection databases, GBIF and GenBank. ...  I think it will be laborious and time-consuming to get everything into prescribed formats, databases, etc. before even a page can be published.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Beast blog</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-08T11:17:18+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/03219fbea3f3d4f7a03cab7276a4a3bf-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/03219fbea3f3d4f7a03cab7276a4a3bf-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Only today I found a reference to a blog on Computational Biology and Evolution that was started by Alexei Drummond last November.   He is one of the authors of the software suite around BEAST (Beauti, Beast, FigTree, LogCombiner, Tracer, TreeAnnotator and Treestat), but is also professionally involved in the development of the phylogenetic package Geneiosus.


Currently there are subjects in categories like Bayesian MCMC, phylogenetics, population genetics and - of course - software.   If some of these topics are interesting you, tap this blog right from the source.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New entries to old literature</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-07T23:53:24+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d5b312902e8c587a8e21b7984a68df75-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d5b312902e8c587a8e21b7984a68df75-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Taxonomy is a field where many papers and books remain of value, even many decades after their publication.   Systematic biology depends to a large extend on historic literature, and the 'half life' or 'decay time' is substantially longer than in other fields of science. 


At the same time it is obvious that many old books and journals are difficult to consult, as they are often confined to the larger libraries in de developed world. 

...Still this is a major breakthrough in making taxonomy literature available 'for the masses'.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Embarrassing or what?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-03-05T15:29:12+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2b13f91c446d8a5bc978e9f9a35f8319-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2b13f91c446d8a5bc978e9f9a35f8319-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It was described from the 'Andes of New Grenada', which is not very informative at all as it could be anywhere in northwestern South America. ...  It is the type species of Stenostylus Pilsbry 1898, originally described as a section of Drymaeus Albers, 1850, but erected to generic level by Weyrauch in 1956.   According to him there were three characteristics that separated this new genus from Drymaeus: 1) a thin cuticula that peels off the shell, 2) the surface of the postembryonic whorls with incrassate growth striae, 3) a pearly luster on the inside of the aperture.


...Today I realized that these shells are the adult form of nigrolimbatus, which was apparently described from a subadult specimen.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>EOL: an ecosystem of websites</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-29T21:40:20+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c4c73307057cfbb7c5fa9c022137cf36-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c4c73307057cfbb7c5fa9c022137cf36-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The site is not very responsive (which might be due to the overwhelming number of visits after the publication, possibly a good sign) and contains not much information yet (you have to start with something).   Looking at the Gastropoda, only quite number of familiar names turn up: Helix pomatia, Cepaea nemoralis and Arion subfuscus. ...  The pictures are taken from a Czech biological encyclopedia (online), text and graphic show the place in a tree of life (interactive) and the source gives the origin of the classification.


My verdict: surely an endeavour that needs support, but also one that has a long, long way to go... ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hidalgo and the Viaje al Pacifico </title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-28T21:07:51+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0e467408973ce9f91541e48d906c0683-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0e467408973ce9f91541e48d906c0683-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For one of my papers in preparation I was looking to solve the publication dates of Hidalgo's contribution to the results of the 'Viajes al Pacifico'. 

...This article describes from a constructivist perspective a Natural History expedition put together by the Spanish government and navy to visit territories in the Pacific in the 1860s. ...  Patrons and organizers of the expedition sought to recreate in Spain discourses and practices then dominant in France, particularly the colonial agenda of the Soci&eacute;t&eacute; Imp&eacute;riale Zoologique d'Acclimatation. ...  Years after the expedition folded, the collection kept on circulating and inspiring local and foreign scientists to identify new species and draw lessons from anthropology to history. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Google Earth and map making</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-25T15:22:48+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f77b8547f8b7c358ff3ee30032210b3f-61.html#unique-entry-id-61</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f77b8547f8b7c358ff3ee30032210b3f-61.html#unique-entry-id-61</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A handy feature is that it supports Postscript-output, which makes it easy for publication although you might need commercial software to process it further.   The same format is supported by Planiglobe, although I don't like like scaling feature as it gives me not enough flexibility.


A second tip seems even more handy: the use of GPSVisualizer to transfer (distribution) data to KML or KMZ files as an overlay in Google Earth.   Unfortunately, in the end this doesn't produce maps that are suitable for publication (unless you are the happy owner of the commercial version of GE), but after much fiddling I was able to obtain a map with localities in Ecuador.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The extended family</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-23T10:40:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ffa731cb814eab657b484cdf715c65e-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5ffa731cb814eab657b484cdf715c65e-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Or rather I should say, the first paper, as a second one dealing with the phylogeny is still on its way.


Since the first reference to Prestonella as a member of the Bulimulidae (Herbert & Mitchell, 2004),  I have been very curious to know more about its relationships to other subfamilies or genera.   Still, we have to hold our breath as this paper deals primarily with the taxonomy and presents an in-depth revision of the three taxa.   The only 'sneak preview' is a statement that "Prestonella [is] in a well supported, monophyletic, orthalicoid clade structured in the following manner: Amphibulimidae + (Bulimulinae + (Prestonella + (Bothriembryon + Placostylus)))".
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cross-bordering</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-22T14:12:34+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fcca57b17b9f37c91fc9e4bb3c06adc2-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fcca57b17b9f37c91fc9e4bb3c06adc2-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During scanning of literature I found a paper* dealing with entomology but containing nevertheless information that could be handy in other fields as well.   One of the references was to site that I found already some years ago, but lost afterwards. ...  As usual there is a distinction between free and commercial respectively between Windows and other platforms (notably Java). 

...The Delta program is now called Intkey, but essentially is the same and might be useful for building keys or to allow identification of species through a webinterface. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>About lizards&#x2c; geckos and snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-18T09:00:47+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1387f0dceea52aa869ddbf5fed915ad5-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1387f0dceea52aa869ddbf5fed915ad5-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Two papers are especially noteworthy, dealing with lizards (Rissler & Apodaca, 2007) and geckos (Raxworthy et al., 2007), both exploring the use of ecological niche modelling (ENM).


While delimitation of species and species concepts are theoretically debated for some time (e.g., de Queiros, 2007; Sites & Marshall, 2003, 2004; Wiens, 2004, 2007), it is interesting to see how ENM is used to shed light from a more practical point of view. ...  With ENM the contact zones between the different lineages are visualized and they argue that genetic and ecological data prove to be more convincing than morphological differences between lineages. 

...They use ENM (Maxent; review here) to identify erroneous localities (which could also be the consequence of misidentifications in collections or literature) and develop a method for comparing niche models based on split and lumped taxonomic groupings. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blogging about molluscs</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-09T23:35:52+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3377a0fe0d77ab1920faf799958d69b8-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3377a0fe0d77ab1920faf799958d69b8-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Always thought that malacology is a popular topic (the NMV alone has more than 600 members), but apparently blogging among malacologists is not very popular at all.   When I just joined Nature Blog Network I found out that only 3 other blogs are listed in the molluscs section.


Just do me a favour and return regularly, to give me a higher ranking :-)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The new Tentacle is out</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-09T21:09:26+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2b24f1423a3d4115dbf72684c46c397-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a2b24f1423a3d4115dbf72684c46c397-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[- Land snail diversity and centres of botanical endemism: Dai Herbert and Adnan Moussalli make the interesting observation that areas recognized by botanists as rich in endemics, also harbour a rich diversity of land snails.   They write: "From a biogeographical perspective it is easy to appreciate that the historical environmental processes that have created these local foci of plant endemism could likewise underpin similar foci of land snail endemism". 

...- Tracking land snail extinctions from space: Menno Schilthuizen and Reuben Clements argue on the basis of observations of snails from Malaysia, that it would be worthwhile to use remote sensing to monitor extinction processes by biotope destruction. 

...- Non-marine mollusc diversity in Paran&aacute; State, southern Brazil: Ignacio Agudo discusses the number of land and freshwater snails and bivalves. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photo of the day</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-09T17:32:04+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/95504e7bd6d04a87c4c594e45ffadcc6-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/95504e7bd6d04a87c4c594e45ffadcc6-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Perhaps this will become a new thread, not sure yet...   After all, there are not so much new pictures on Orthalicidae, at least not a daily basis :-) 


This I found on a web site dedicated to Liguus in Florida. 

...Liguus fasciatus (M&uuml;ller, 1774) and Orthalicus floridensus Pilsbry, 1899 mating (photo: Phil Poland)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Meeting a soulsister</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-07T13:58:22+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/48495d0230a8c64c8f52b10ccfe5d6c3-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/48495d0230a8c64c8f52b10ccfe5d6c3-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today is one of those days that you will memorize for a long time, because it is not so often that you meet someone with whom you share your passion for the same group of snails. 

...It soon became clear to me that she is a student of Gabriela Cuezzo at the University of Tucum&aacute;n. ...  D., we exchanged some emails when she announced to have received a German fellowship for a 3 months stay, that would bring her to Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich.   Although we initially agreed to meet in Cologne, she decided to spend some free days in Amsterdam and eventually we met there.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Holy Grail of malacohistory</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-06T10:24:00+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2a3d6a355dd855445f2f6dbcdd249793-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/2a3d6a355dd855445f2f6dbcdd249793-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just by accident, I stumbled on a publication by Gene Coan, Alan Kabat and Richard Petit, entitled "2400 years of malacology".   This paper provides a comprehensive catalog of biographical and bibliographical publications for over 7,000 malacologists, conchologists, paleontologists, and others with an interest in mollusks, from Aristotle to the present. ...  This is highly informative and an absolute masterpiece!


Now, my biohistorical notes seems only futile...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Graphing populations</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-02-03T21:40:39+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3a671ff0e76bcefab04e5b7fbf40ecea-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3a671ff0e76bcefab04e5b7fbf40ecea-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One of the topics that I have been wrestling with since quite some time, is how to deal with statistics and graphing of populations (and other data as well). 

...And instead of jotting down the data with pencil on a sheet of paper, it's much more convenient now to fill in a worksheet of Excel (or what I prefer, Numbers). 

...Unable to afford a de-facto standard like SPSS (not to speak of the ability to handle it), I have been looking for a nifty piece of software that will run on my Mac.   Until I found today StatCrunch, a web-based tool that fitted my needs: it is nearly for free (US$ 5/half a year), can handle different inputs (file, copy-paste, URL), does both calculations and graphing, is very flexible in its outputs and stores your results for easy retrieving afterwards. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (4): W.K. Weyrauch</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-31T11:44:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c2ca778e956160bc332c465eff95a99a-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c2ca778e956160bc332c465eff95a99a-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[During my revisionary work on the Bulimulinae it struck me how many taxa with manuscript (MS) names I found in several museums, but I didn't have time to go into any detail.


...By 1938, Weyrauch was in Peru, where he worked as entomologist at the Estaci&oacute;n Agr&iacute;cola de La Molina in Lima until 1946, when he began work at the Estaci&oacute;n Experimental Agr&iacute;cola de Tingo Maria, also in Lima. ...  From 1948 to 1961, he worked at the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, where he was a professor of systematic zoology, animal ecology, zoogeography, and genetics. 

...An indefatigable worker, Weyrauch arrived in the laboratory at 3 or 4 p.m., and then worked all night, until his wife, Imelda Valdiz&aacute;n de Weyrauch, came to take him home in the morning. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Commemorating great biologists</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-28T18:57:01+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a6e8a27a1b0eb9dfdc8f37e60a957927-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a6e8a27a1b0eb9dfdc8f37e60a957927-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Someone has taken up the project to raising funds for building a replica of the HMS Beagle and to sail the same journey again.


In 2009, the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth we will launch a sailing replica of HMS Beagle. ...  They will carry out original research both at sea and on land, updating Darwin's observations, breaking new scientific ground and relating the adventure of science to enthuse a new generation of young students.


...That sounds exciting, although at least at *the* icon of Darwinism - the Gal&aacute;pagos - the radiation of land snails (Naesiotus) has recently been studied by Christine Parent&sup1; using phylogenetic methods.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>You win some and you lose some</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-28T09:05:07+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6eb13fbff2e448193e7e69d50b0afef3-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6eb13fbff2e448193e7e69d50b0afef3-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I made my career switch in the early '80s I didn't want to throw everything away (using the motto "when you keep something, you have something").   Subsequently when we moved in 1992 everything was put in a box and stored in a dark place in the house.


When my malacological research interest regained momentum some years ago, I could quickly find my literature card-index system (it still comes in very handy to locate reprints) but not my notes, although I knew that there was probably something. ...  Nowadays we don't fancy these B/W pictures anymore, but 30 years ago it was the best we had (and the only thing acceptable for publication!). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Of science&#x2c; struggling and helpfulness</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-27T17:41:29+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b767daffc88d3b85a7c64641399068c8-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b767daffc88d3b85a7c64641399068c8-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have set up the membership in such a way that I daily receive a summarizing message, containing the headlines of all (if any) messages that have been posted to the group that day.   Just observing what's going on it struck me that one group is much more helpful than the other (scientists are quite helpful people, aren't they? 

...Instead of puzzling for hours and hours it is sometimes very tempting to ask it to the 'group', just hoping that someone will be helpful.   Shame on me, but what other choice would you be making when one wants to be productive with very limited time? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Off topic again&#x21;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-20T17:10:54+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8e9e3d90229b485dd79037a74ef1d0e4-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8e9e3d90229b485dd79037a74ef1d0e4-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But I found this interesting story that I wanted to share, especially since it is about science, evolutionary biology and communication. 


The item Neil Shubin is relating to can be found here.   Anyone up for a similar show on Dutch TV?   Hmm, not me, that's for sure :-)
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lost? Hidden&#x21;</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-20T16:31:25+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a65f40e28ff9d65332101b4ddf840a2-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/7a65f40e28ff9d65332101b4ddf840a2-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Recently a sample of alcohol material mysteriously disappeared from my workbench in Naturalis.   I was really sad, as it was a species of Naesiotus collected alive some months ago by Edi Gittenberger in St. 

...Eike Neubert, unknowingly of this incident, wrote to me: "In a museum nothing is really lost, only hidden". 

...Update: Believe it or not, within one week after this posting the missing vial unexpectedly was found by a colleague in a different room than where I had stored my material. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Land bridges and memory hooks</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-20T14:45:35+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/99932fe73b1abd36ba6ff8311989e1c7-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/99932fe73b1abd36ba6ff8311989e1c7-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It wasn't for the rodent, but they casually mentioned the 're-established land bridge between Central and South America to be dating 3 Ma'. ...  Remarkable though, that some mainland genera are partially present in the Caribbean (Plekocheilus and Naesiotus on some of the Lesser Antilles), adding to the complexity of the picture. 

...When doing a quick search for papers on the geology of Central America, it struck me that many biological arguments are grounded in mammals. 


I found a paper&sup2; testing two hypotheses, peninsular or an archipelago in the middle Miocene, using tooth dimensions as a proxy for body size. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Off topic - or not?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-20T10:10:15+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/12387e83da8c85f03bb0dd3c9c2de524-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/12387e83da8c85f03bb0dd3c9c2de524-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It seems that quite some scientists are writing about their discipline and their work, though not sharing research ideas. ...  I might be bloody naive, but I can't see the point of hiding a worthwhile idea if it could become even a better idea by sharing with a colleague.   The same applies to keeping someone from the conclusions in a paper in press instead of sharing them right away. 

...Exploring some of the links from the article I noticed that there was even a conference on scientific blogging this weekend in the USA, with more than 200 people attending. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Synthesys</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-11T19:33:53+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/44be083eff19044d9c31e1a21d91ad98-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/44be083eff19044d9c31e1a21d91ad98-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Synthesys is a EU-funded programme aimed at strengthening the infrastructure and research in natural sciences (among which taxonomy).   There are 20 natural history museums and botanical gardens participating in this programme, that runs till Spring next year.


Untill recently I was unaware of it, but I realized that it could be a perfect chance to revisit the Natural History Museum (BMNH) in London, and to visit the Berlin museum. 

...As both are important depositories of type material for the Orthalicoidea (see here), it is worth trying to seize the chance. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (3): L.A. Reeve</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-01-04T22:27:42+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f23d5e83b03f4c82690d8547ea2f7fc5-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f23d5e83b03f4c82690d8547ea2f7fc5-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Looking through the new additions this week in the library of Naturalis, I came across an very interesting publication on L.A. 

...The paper presents an insightful view of the different activities of Reeve (a.o. publisher, taxonomist) and puts them in a contemporary framework, indicating the relationships with H. ...  This part contains also some valuable quotations and remarks relating to the collection of the Natural History Museum (BMNH) in London. 

...Although the major part of it related to marine molluscs, the work is certainly invaluable for future reference for land snail workers, as it also contains many useful references to rare publications.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The distribution of types</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-22T20:52:10+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c80033284f2a2c0e76963ff1fbfe2cfc-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c80033284f2a2c0e76963ff1fbfe2cfc-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In a family rich of names like the Orthalicidae, it is very helpful if good documentation is available for as many taxa as possible.   In the Bulimulinae more than 1700 taxa have been described, of which slightly over 900 types have been traced; for the Orthalicoidea as a whole these numbers are respectively 2200 and nearly 1200 (data extracted from Breure 1973, 1974, 1979; Breure & Schouten 1985). 

...Since 1979 several species have been added, and these numbers should be seen as an approximation of the current situation.   Moreover, some museums have been thoroughly updated, e.g. the Berlin museum by K&ouml;hler (2007), the Bern museum by Neubert & Gosteli (2003, 2005) and the Senckenberg museum by Neubert & Janssen (2004).  
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An interim balance (2)</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-16T20:15:40+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eb90443617cf5b4aadcc1e62246ddd0f-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/eb90443617cf5b4aadcc1e62246ddd0f-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now the checklist for Colombia is on its way and, although much remains to be done, the data available have been geo-referenced.   The same sort of picture emerges: lots of localities in the Cordilleras, hardly any in the eastern part of the country and in the lowlands in the western side.


As the data predominantly have been derived from ancient collections, I wonder if this is a bias reflecting the past.   Would data from recent collections also show the same pattern?
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (2): H.H. Smith</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-08T09:22:43+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/61199fc0cafa5c67f1569b51852669be-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/61199fc0cafa5c67f1569b51852669be-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The second person that is frequently mentioned as collector of Colombian material is H.H. ...  From the site of the Carnegie Museum I learned that was he their first curator of Mollusca.   Besides mollusks, he was  interested - at least during his years at Carnegie - in Unionidae, he collected also insects, amphibians and plants during his extensive trips in Central and South America.   I found a description of his life in a biohistorical paper on Mexican entomology (1), which also has an interesting story on the origin of the series Biologia Centrali-Americana.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Colombian Plekocheilus</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-06T21:04:36+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/91a3468acd918f257c702dc5be159a56-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/91a3468acd918f257c702dc5be159a56-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For the shortlist of 28 taxa I found 75 localities in museums (collections and databases) and literature that could be georeferenced.


A first rough analysis in Maxent revealed a pattern somewhat similar to that I found in Ecuador, however it needs more analysis to find out a realistic distribution.   The number of occurrences is higher in Colombia, at least allowing for some analysis on species level. 


Anyway, my first impression is that also in this country part of it is seriously undersampled, not only for this genus but for the family as a whole. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Biohistorical notes (1): M.A. Carriker</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-12-05T20:32:25+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dc0f3eee52eb9fac99ed732eb511c5bf-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/dc0f3eee52eb9fac99ed732eb511c5bf-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Melbourne Armstrong Carriker, later known as "Meb" by family members, was cared for by Samuel Romine, Mary&acute;s father, in southern Kansas, while Malachi pursued a degree at the Eclectic Medical College, Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio.   In 1885, following the completion of his medical training, Malachi married Ollie King and Meb joined them in Nebraska City in southeast Nebraska, where Malachi established a successful medical practice.


...At the end of the school year in 1903, Meb, having completed two years and one semester of college, returned to Costa Rica.


The life of Melbourne Armstrong Carriker, from which the above has been extracted, is described in Vista Nieve (2) by his eldest son, Melbourne Romaine Carriker. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What to do with a living snail?</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-11-30T20:46:03+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c8304d4ab2db5e5aaa5e8cd10c8464a4-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c8304d4ab2db5e5aaa5e8cd10c8464a4-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Encountering a living snail, not only take notes of the locality, the GPS coordinates and the ecology (e.g. vegetation, soil type), but also take pictures of the animal. 

...When you return in the evening to your (home) base, put the animal directly in alcohol 96% (so do NOT drown in water first!).


...[N.B.: If you followed step 7, ensure that the animal can be identified by either including an empty shell or a label like e.g. 

...The least I will do is to give you a honourable mention in the 'Acknowledgements' section in one of my future papers :-) But generally I'll be happy to refund you the shipping costs, unless you waive it or I can help you in other ways.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>New Grenada</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-11-27T09:44:30+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/55d95ad3b0af4b7ca2916f7c1c05f2f3-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/55d95ad3b0af4b7ca2916f7c1c05f2f3-33.html#unique-entry-id-33</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When interpreting old locality labels this knowledge can be very helpful to pinpoint certain places, which might not be located where one would expect them with today's map in front.


...Finally, I came to D. geometricus (Pfeiffer), for which Pilsbry had another locality from Bland: "Forests in the mountains below Erv&eacute;, on the road to Santa Ana".   I'm unaware if there has anything been published about the journeys of Bland in Colombia, but now I had three parts of a puzzle and I decided to find some solution. ...  I ended up with "P&aacute;ramo de Herveo" and two variants of the populated place "Herveo", all at or very close to 05&deg; 05' 00"&nbsp;N 075&deg; 10' 00"&nbsp;W, which is in Dept. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Going through some rapids</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-11-25T22:01:22+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cdfd57f6f492c415425ab185bff76a74-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cdfd57f6f492c415425ab185bff76a74-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[One of the things I decided to give priority, was to revise and edit the Orthalicoidea from Francisco Borrero's checklist for Colombia.   Many minor mistakes were corrected, but it is certainly a great advantage to have such a solid basis to work on, instead of having to collect all the data one by one. 

...Plans are being made to set up a cooperation with the Cincinnati Museum and to start joint field work in the reserves. 

...As such people with an apparent keen interest in land snails are quite rare, I offered him help with literature since many old books and journals are difficult to consult in South America. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Nearing submission</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-11-18T20:24:53+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1591e62cf770cfd5e139276f722426c6-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/1591e62cf770cfd5e139276f722426c6-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Two reviewers have kindly provided their comments, so I put the manuscript in the format prescribed by the journal (Zootaxa) and announced my intention to one of the editors.


...Francisco Borrero, who was so kind to review the manuscript, also sent me some pictures which he received from contacts in southern Ecuador.   The following picture is identified by me as Plekocheilus (Eurytus) roseolabrum (E.A.   Smith, 1877), a rare species that has not been found after its original description.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>I x T = P</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-10-31T17:46:14+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ca4011921d7f64614295fea2dd622a31-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/ca4011921d7f64614295fea2dd622a31-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This seems like a cryprtic formula, but it is utterly simple: Ideas x Time available = Priorities needed.   When studying literature or when in contact with others ideas can spring to mind, not to mention the creative flow that can emerge from under the shower :-) Sometimes these ideas need time to take shape in a form that allows research, sometimes it is immediately clear that an idea is worthwhile to implement.   The latter situation occurred this week when I was emailing to M&oacute;nica Vera about her application for a visiting scholarship to the Field Museum.   When she was looking to make her proposal more specific, it immediately came to mind that making a revision of Plekocheilus would be a good idea that could serve several purposes: a) her application for a scholarship, b) the on-going research for making a checklist of Colombian land snails, c) our planned study of the Guayana Shield malacofauna and the speciation processes in that area. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Making progress&#x2c; steadily but slow</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-10-28T22:48:43+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b88eaf562d917f698a62f322f37f0907-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b88eaf562d917f698a62f322f37f0907-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I decided first to pay more attention to the analysis of ecoregions and endemism.   The latter concept is clearly contextual and I was tossing around with it when I found an interesting site that gave me some inspiration: the Andes-Amazon project in Peru and Bolivia.   This project deals with plants, mammals, birds and amphibians, but in their methodology they also used Maxent modeling. ...  Those that are endemic to Ecuador deserve special attention, and when I plotted their localities three geographical clusters appeared. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>With some help and inspiration</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-10-13T19:55:27+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/79e8d37d1a0356e3aacde9e480b2c02c-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/79e8d37d1a0356e3aacde9e480b2c02c-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Maxent package I previously wrote about has a - like most freeware software - a discussion group which in my case was helpful to solve some initial problems.   One problem - the grid output file that should be suitable for input in DIVA-GIS - was a bug in the beta version that I ran and was fixed very swiftly by the Steven Phillips, the main author. ...  Elith et al., 2006; Pearson et al., 2007) have shown that Maxent is robust enough to handle datasets with only a few occurrences per species, I preferred to do the analyses on aggregated data to get a more comprehensive result. 

...When I out of curiousity tried to feed Maxent with occurrence data (also Plekocheilus) from the Guayana Shield, the resulting picture of the distribution showed a remarkable disjunct pattern. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mapping on your computer with insight</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-09-23T13:53:55+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fce55e1641c3becd0b272279514e7e48-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fce55e1641c3becd0b272279514e7e48-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Ecological niche development has caught my attention before (application in this presentation), but when I wanted to do some analyses on the Ecuadorian data, I did a quick survey for suitable (and affordable) software to use on my MacBook. 

...MyWorldGIS is aimed at high school level and too simple, Arcexplorer is a viewer rather than a full GIS system, while the other two programs need more development before they can be used for analysis. 

...I downloaded all three, but was unsatisfied with uDig while the two others proved to raise some stumbling-blocks in my attempts to quickly getting them working.


...The training data set on the site runs as expected, but when I try one of my own data sets I quickly ran into problems. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Version 0.2 is up</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-09-09T21:26:38+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3fbf2f194fce186f2211957260ba7265-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3fbf2f194fce186f2211957260ba7265-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have checked now the following collections: ANSP (Philadelphia), FMNH (Chicago), FLMNH (Gainesville), RMNH (Leiden) and USNM (Washington).   There remain a number to be done, but as far as I can guess the number of taxa is quite complete. 

...- the longitude/latitude coordinates of the localities have been centralized in Table 1, to improve the readableness of the text;


...Some 170 have been listed so far, of which 15 manuscript names, mostly of Weyrauch (another project coming up).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An interim balance</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-09-02T17:16:11+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3925f5881c3da7423262ccfc7373c87c-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3925f5881c3da7423262ccfc7373c87c-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After having put the first version of the Ecuadorian checklist on this website, I added the Orthalicinae and began to add data from more museums. ...  To make up an interim balance: the list of localities has grown to 104; only the Provinces of Bol&iacute;var and Sucumbios are not represented, but Pichincha is still over-represented with 23%.


The number of species has also grown, to 170, with most additional ones to the previous version being species from neighbouring countries.   However, I suspect that after checking the identifications with specimens at hand, some may appear to have been identified in error. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Not surprised&#x2c; but still...</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-18T14:51:16+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f9043fff79802122b11a64b85582f8a1-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f9043fff79802122b11a64b85582f8a1-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After having pinpointed all exact (or at least specific and traceable) localities  in Ecuador with the help of the GNS databse and Google Earth, I ended up with 62 localities.   Of course, this is not a complete survey and possibly many will be added later, but I was curious enough to do a first analysis.   It is very clear that the surrounding of Quito is well-sampled: 17 of the 62 localities are found in the province of Pichincha.   So far, Los R&iacute;os, Bol&iacute;var, Esmeraldas and Sucumbios provinces are not represented at all.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A beginning</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-17T20:44:04+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f6d3301523fc4ee3eeef5d5392111f52-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f6d3301523fc4ee3eeef5d5392111f52-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is only rough and far from complete, only the Bulimulinae are treated.   The current version can be found under Current topics > Colombia (or follow this link).   I would like to explore the possibility to have photographs of type material, as far as it hasn't been recently (re)figured, but that may prove a bridge too far.   The next steps will be to sort out the mainland localities and their altitude, to see if these can be linked to the ecoregions and to do some analysis on distribution patterns.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Having fun as a donkey</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-12T21:54:05+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c2673fe672c4826f0f7093aef3b3e608-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/c2673fe672c4826f0f7093aef3b3e608-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I was searching for a title for this entry, I reminded the work done over the past days and summarized it as "koeliewerk", which is translated as (fig.) donkeywork.   So I have been working as a donkey, but it was fun to do and I became a little fanatical on the way.


...When searching for data from museum collectiosn that have been made available via a database, it struck me that - speaking in general - the quality is rather poor. ...  On the way I happened to find, however, a nice overview of museum collections with contact data and the status of their collection; the links that follows lists the collections where Neotropical molluscs are housed (http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/main/collections/mollusk_links/museumlist.html#SA). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>In the pressure cooker again</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-09T21:40:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0234133a5c36a8bffa31d1b405850762-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/0234133a5c36a8bffa31d1b405850762-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Holidays are over and normal work has begun, so there is little time left when all the household chores and social activities have been done. ...  The first time was to check the collection for Succineidae to be able to answer a request from Brazil. 

...It is really a very big cloud forest, but he assured me that the trails within the Reserve are good, even during the rainy season.   Still my guess is that snails are not abundant and maybe hard to find, but that the fauna could be very interesting.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Country catalogues</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-08-03T17:30:09+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d0ad4d6e5d279035de65bf99f5e4dc08-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d0ad4d6e5d279035de65bf99f5e4dc08-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Costa Rica - For some years there was the excellent work in progress of the InBio database, but someone at the WCM told me that it is no longer online.


...Cuba - As far as I know there is no complete overview; the Urocoptidae have been listed by Jaume & De la Torre (1976), the Camaenidae by Perez & Espinoza (1994) and the Annulariidae by Waters (2006). 

...Puerto Rico - As far as I know, only the land molluscs of Mona Island have been catalogued (Thompson, 1987).


...Peru - Rina Ramirez is for many years an active malacologist and compiled, together with others, a list of species (Ramirez et al., 2003).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The quest goes on and the dilemma of the collector</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-31T11:09:29+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3acba92dcc6eb404e07dc561414de737-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/3acba92dcc6eb404e07dc561414de737-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Another suggestion from Jozef Grego was that it could be Orthosagda, but after having checked the data in Schieleyko I'm convinced that this is also a wrong track. 

...That is most probably the same reason why DNA sequencing didn't yield results, given the strict conditions that are being put on the material.   Quite a dilemma for the field collector when you are lucky enough to find one specimen: do I want to have a fully strechted animal, allowing for an easy dissection or do I put it directly in alcohol 96%, safeguarding DNA but probably jeopardizing anatomical research.


I put all pictures here (photos by courtesy of Jozef Grego) and if anybody has a good suggestion, it is always welcome.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Holiday time</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-29T11:51:17+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d7a0549145bff325dc820e044d68b65f-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/d7a0549145bff325dc820e044d68b65f-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Before we left, Frank K&ouml;hler very kindly sent me the proofs of his forthcoming paper on the types of Bulimulinae in the Berlin museum. ...  It was therefore a big surprise to see the list of types from authors like e.g.   Martens, Albers, Dunker, Dohrn, Strebel and Pfeiffer, with also material originating from the Cuming collection well represented and described by e.g. 

...Today I contacted the coordinator and learned that the malacofauna is still unknown, although he noted "there are three larger species, some medium and small. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The boost of WCM</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-24T20:12:25+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b7ebb40e3095ff3ac4c4a2881212e6c4-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/b7ebb40e3095ff3ac4c4a2881212e6c4-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The WCM is over, but has made me so energetic on malacology, that it is hard to fulfill all my duties plus my household chores.   Several ideas have come to mind that need careful consideration and a lot of elaboration.   Over the past few days I have sent a series of emails to contacts from the WCM and to others, firing up some of the ideas.   As a result I got notice from Bogot&aacute; that a Catalogue of Colombian land snails is ready for review. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>WCM - The balance</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-21T22:59:39+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6eae8adef4be469a62abc765cd0a2a4b-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/6eae8adef4be469a62abc765cd0a2a4b-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not having been at a malacological congress for 30 years, it was remarkable to see the shift in attention and the broad range of topics covered. ...  At the end of the symposium on Inventorying the molluscan fauna of the world, it was guessed that still 40% of the species is undescribed.   Discussing with some people about which areas could be considered as 'least known' as far as land snails are concerned, we agreed that New Guinea (and SE Asia in general) be given highest ranking. 


I wonder what shifts in time could be seen in the delegate population according to interest group (marine / non-marine) and geographical background. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>WCM Day 4</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-19T10:20:20+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/97696322e0c03416d13197d480354877-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/97696322e0c03416d13197d480354877-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Quite a sursprise to learn that this work was done (still need to be published), obviously inspired by the recent publication by Neubert & Janssen on the Senckenberg material.


...From what he told me it sounds very reasonable to consider the Placostylids as a separate family, with two anatomical characters very different from the South American stock. ...  Another thing he told me is that Bothriembryon is currently studied by Klaus Groh, who will describe many new species based on collections he made in conjunction with the previous WCM in Perth in 2004.


...The last presentation I heard was on molecular genetics of Stylommatophora by Cendrine Hudelot (the group of Wade and Mordan), with improved method (more species, additional gene) but more or less the same outcome and still a way to go to resolve the relationships between the different (groups of) families. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>WCM Day 3</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-18T21:44:03+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a82e7d5527a0adce4a42f1af68f054f6-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/a82e7d5527a0adce4a42f1af68f054f6-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, instead of joining one of the official tours, Francisco Borrero, Bernhard Hausdorf, John Slapcinsky and I decided to go to Leiden, where I showed them the collection of Naturalis.   Francisco wanted to see material of a lot of Neotropical families, while John wanted to study material from New Guinea, especially material that Tera van Benthem Jutting had described, although most of her type material is in Amsterdam.


...I showed Bernhard around the alcohol collection, he dwelled in the dry collection and we discussed some topics about research, especially on Colombian land snails. ...  Bernhard also told me that the type material in his museum was lost during WW II, but that as far as he knew somehow the type material in Berlin survived the war.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>WCM Day 2</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-17T20:25:51+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/77e23688b9dda20a28b4be15b5acfadb-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/77e23688b9dda20a28b4be15b5acfadb-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Philippe Bouchet, one of the 'grand old men', gave an update on inventorying the molluscan fauna, in which he concluded that now 80.000 species are known (of which 22.000 land snails) and the average number of new species per year is about 600 (only 7% Neotropical). 

...Finally, two presentations by John Slapcinsky on Papua New Guinea and Eike Neubert on the Middle East, clearly showed where some 'black boxes' of land snails can be found. 

...Also met Sonia Santos from Rio de Janeiro, who had an interesting poster on land snail diversity on Grande Island (formerly a prison island, now a biological station). ...  He did an awful lot of good work and I hope his book will stimulate the interest in Brazilian (and Neotropical) land molluscs.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>WCM Day 1</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-16T14:38:49+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/72dc5248fc44641ca6fd1ad46b0f4227-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/72dc5248fc44641ca6fd1ad46b0f4227-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The first day I started off by renewing some contacts and making some new ones, although there are some people still on my 'hit list' who I couldn't discover within the crowd filling the narrow corridors.


...Dai Herbert had a nice presentation about Rhytididae from Madagascar, where he used a BEAST analysis to show that the taxon supposed to be a Rhytididid in fact was not. 

...We had emailed before so it really nice to meet him and I had a long chat over lunch sine we share the same interests and have some common acquaintances.


...Ira Richling had a nice presentation about Helicinidae from the Lesser Antilles, which shed a new light on the classification of Helicina and Alcadia. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Preparing for WCM</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-10T17:23:05+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5a2dceda4d25b9de77ff399f41a39446-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/5a2dceda4d25b9de77ff399f41a39446-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is like any other congress, fully loaden with interesting lectures, a poster session, excusrsions and as a finale the congress dinner.   There will be several parallel sessions, devoted to topics like landsnail diversity, phylogenetics and evolution, molluscs as models in evolutionary biology, to name a few of my likings. 

...But what will be most important to me, is the chance to renew or establish contacts with malacologists from all over the world.   I have been to a UNITAS congress before (in Amsterdam in the 1970's), but it is too long ago to be still meaningful. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Beast in snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-07-01T20:07:47+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9d08cfdeff1c6b1e55c6f05cb64fdd9b-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/9d08cfdeff1c6b1e55c6f05cb64fdd9b-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There are several packages, each for a specific step in the workflow; the main step is called Beast. 

...So far I've used it while I'm trying to fiddle around with some Nexus files that Bernhard Hausdorf sent me.   From what I experience I feel that one should be reasonably seasoned in molecular genetics to make the best out of it.   While I follow the (rather frequent) stream of Q&A on the Beast Mailing-list, I flatter myself with the knowledge that I'm not the only one who is struggling with all the nitty-gritty details that rule the software. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Patience is a virtue</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-06-28T08:52:06+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cfff4227d962f9ae2905fef8f0b60638-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cfff4227d962f9ae2905fef8f0b60638-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That sprang to mind when I discussed the progress (none) in my phylogenetic work with a collegue at Naturalis.   It's frustrating, but what can one do about it, when there are no facilities at hand?   The virtue of having patience is certainly appilcable here, but I don't like the role of lame duck.   I know it's a matter of priorities (also on my side), but let's see what new opportunities for progress the WCM next month might offer.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The globalization of malacology</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-06-16T15:50:40+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cf232542a2f2150203892744c1498f6b-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/cf232542a2f2150203892744c1498f6b-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I have pointed out earlier during my NMV presentation, I try to set up relevant co-operations with like-minded malacologists and have located a few in Latin America amongst others. 

...That being sad enough, the consequence is that biologists working in his group were also out of their jobs from one day to the other. 

...The most shocking thing I learned, however, was that an appointment only lasts for 3 months; after that a renewal costs a lot of bureaucratic hasles.


The lessons I draw from this is a) setting up a co-operation needs a deep understanding of the local circumstances of your partner, plus a high frustration toleration on both sides; b) NUFFIC would be wise to revise the condition of job permanency for her grant programmes, as this condition can be met by the very, very happy few only.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hunting for...snails</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-07T20:56:24+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/225383429e60c204aaa388435c24bc6e-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/225383429e60c204aaa388435c24bc6e-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I like to collect snails during my holidays - even if they're not in the Neotropics :-) - I offered to do some hunting for a friend.   He said "Clausiliidae are to be found in the western part of Sicily, where there are calcareous rocks, but not in the eastern part where there is volcanic soil".   So my hope for happy snail hunting was not very high as we hired a house in the south-east near Syracusa. 

...But as soon as we set out on the first day for a trip to a nature reserve near Noto I found the first snails (though no Clausiliidae).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Time flies</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-04-21T20:40:03+02:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/041cdf47af2492666e2906e0d26ec032-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/041cdf47af2492666e2906e0d26ec032-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I confess not with my snails, although some things happened which I will summarize here shortly.


...I compared the genitalia of Platysuccinea portoricensis in Shileyko, but they differ too much to confirm the hypothesis of the Sagdidae being the home family of S. dominicensis.   Let's first find the time and opportunity to make a decent drawing of it genitalia...


...Today I gave a lecture at the annual meeting of the NMV (Dutch Malacological Society) on my research topics. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A quick update</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-02-10T17:37:59+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fbf11d9446bf76dfdaa3a6656c2f5d63-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/fbf11d9446bf76dfdaa3a6656c2f5d63-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[More than a month passed since my last posting, as my "normal" work nearly prevented me from doing anything at all on snails. 

...It's annoying to experience how difficult dissecting a snail can be, especially if it is rather small like this one.   (Relatively speaking.... my friend Edi Gittenberger would consider this a rather big one, but as it is his "normal" work he is much more experienced in it). 

...Let's say, at snail pace :-) New material has been sent to Hamburg and some discussions over previous results. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gal&#xe1;pagos bulimulids</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-01-04T22:03:52+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/987b4c05950cd7c6078b4211e04c45fe-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/987b4c05950cd7c6078b4211e04c45fe-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Most unfortunate for the specimens that I collected during the 1970s and apparently have been preserved too long in alcohol70 to be of any use in this respect. 

...However I quickly scanned the collection for other recently collected material and found some species that I prepared for DNA research. 

...During my habitual check of the latest journals I found a very recent paper by Christine Parent*) on Gal&aacute;pagos bulimulids. ...  But content-wise her paper is most interesting, proving that the Gal&aacute;pagos bulimulids are monophyletic and discussion their diversification as they colonized the islands of the archipelago.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Food for thought</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-12-31T17:09:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8ae068804ca08e85c48a163fcfbc199d-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/8ae068804ca08e85c48a163fcfbc199d-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is a new line of research and very interesting given the results of my experiments with DIVA-GIS**). 

...One of the interesting topics touched upon in the introduction is the suggestion that "bioclimatic enveloppes are statistically more similar among sister species and that they are conserved across evolutionary time". 

...It is supported by two examples from birds resp. plants, where one established first the relationships and then analysed the bioclimatic enveloppes. ...  Have palaeoclimates been included in the analysis to verify that the relationship between phylogeny and bioclimatic enveloppes is constant? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x22;Bulimulidae&#x22; or the confusion of progress</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-12-26T21:16:07+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f3983881a5fa5787062643382aa3d759-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/f3983881a5fa5787062643382aa3d759-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, what people tend to forget is that you can't be sure of the organism you study untill you are able to identify it properly. 

...Although the data did not allow to pinpoint the relationships between the several groups in detail, I was convinced at that time that the Bulimulidae as a whole were a solid group. 

...Dai Herbert (Natal Museum) told me last year that he concluded that the genus Prestonella belongs to this group, as he will show by DNA-studies (still to be published).


...My suspicion is that a re-evaluation of the relationships at generic level, on the basis of DNA research, will reveal some truely surprising results. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A mystery to be solved</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-12-27T12:05:05+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/39dcd84f980b59945e2cf591e0dd1993-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/39dcd84f980b59945e2cf591e0dd1993-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The genus Simpulopsis Beck 1837 is disjunctly distributed in the Neotropics, ranging from southern Brazil to southern Mexico and Guatemala in the north.   It is also reported from northern Argentine, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and St. ...  The species seem to be restricted to tropical and subtropical rain and cloud forests, where they generally live in low density. 

...Recently Jozef Grego and Jozef Steffek made a trip to that island, hunting for a Clausiliid, Nenisca franzi, reported from Haiti. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Introduction</title><dc:creator>Snail</dc:creator><dc:subject>A Snail&#x27;s Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2006-12-24T17:48:25+01:00</dc:date><link>http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/210616b7e76e6c8fcca15e9a42b6a1de-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.ashbreure.nl/snailblog/files/210616b7e76e6c8fcca15e9a42b6a1de-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The main work that I did on Neotropical snails was done during the 1970's. ...  D. in 1979 I switched career and worked for the government and as a private management consultant.   For many years I was an officer of the Dutch Malacological Society (Nerderlandse Malacologische Vereniging) and tried to keep an eye on relevant literature as good as possible.   But I always kept my interest in Neotropical snails, especially the family Bulimulidae. ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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