The Western Australian Kimberley region harbours a diverse fauna of camaenid land snails characterised by marked patterns of narrow range endemism. A recent survey of previously poorly known areas along the Kimberley coast has resulted in the discovery of a number of further, yet undeschbed camaenid taxa. One of these, the genus Australocosmica, is newly described herein based on comparative studies of genital anatomy, shell and radular morphology, and analyses of partial sequences of the mitochondrial marker 16S rRNA. Australocosmica is characterised by a broadly conical to semi-globose shell with moderately elevated spire, well-rounded, convex whorls that are separated by a deeply incised suture, and a sculpture of dense, regularly spaced axial ribs. The most distinguishing feature of the inner penial anatomy is the presence of a furrowed, collar-like vergic papillum forming the entrance of the vas deferens into the lumen of the penial chamber. Three new species, Australocosmia augustae, A. sanctumpatriciusae, and A. vulcanice, are described based mainly on differences in penial anatomy. All species are well differentiated by uncorrected pair-wise p-distances of 15% to 20% in the 16S rRNA gene. Similar to most camaenids in the Kimberley region, species of Australocosmica are narrow-range endemics being restricted to single islands, sometimes including the immediately adjacent mainland coast.

A novel molluscicide, derived from niclosamide, the salt of quinoid-2′,5-dichloro-4′-nitrosalicylanilide (LDS) was recently developed in China. The molluscicidal activity of LDS was compared with the commonly used molluscicide niclosamide (WPN) by immersion at seven concentrations; 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 mg/L, and with spraying and powdering methods (dosages of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g/m²) in the laboratory and the field. We recorded mortality at 1 d, 3 d, and 7 d. The results showed that at 0.4 mg/L immersion exposure for 72 hours, snail mortalities for LDS and WPN were 100% and 96.70% respectively in the lab, and 100% and 95.33 ± 1.15% respectively in the field. With a dosage of 0.8 g/m² exposure for 7 d by spraying, snail mortalities for LDS and WPN were 100% and 97.33 ± 2.30% respectively in the lab, and 99.27 ± 1.27% and 97.47 ± 3.11 % in the field. With a dosage of 0.8 g/m² exposure at 7 d by powdering, snail mortalities for LDS and WPN were both 98% in the lab, and 100% in the field. These results from three different methods show that molluscicidal effects were similar in the lab and the field. However, LDS is much cheaper than WPN, and LDS is less toxic to fish than WPN. Therefore, LDS might be more useful than WPN for controlling snails in endemic areas of schistosomiasis in China.

The West Indies, well known for its distinctive geological history, is well suited for studies in biogeography and biodiversity. However, the lack of comprehensive studies for much of its unique fauna has hampered insights into their systematics, evolution and phylogeography. The scarcity of data is particularly pronounced for freshwater gastropods in the viviparous family Thiahdae — represented in the archipelago by Hemisinus Swainson, 1840 and Cubaedomus Morrison, 1951. Hitherto described only on the basis of shell morphology, we here redescribe Hemisinus lineolatus (W. Wood, 1828), the type species of Hemisinus, based on type material and museum collections. The anatomy of this species is also described, representing the first such comprehensive study of any Neotropical thiarid. The synonymy of Hemisinus buccinoides Reeve, 1860, with H. lineolatus is confirmed. The species is found to possess a mixture of distinctly thiarid features (e.g., operculum, rachidian, midgut, brood pouch) and features previously undocumented in the family (e.g., gonochohsm with ∼equal sex ratios, glandular palliai oviduct with spermatophore bursa in lateral lamina, spermatophore organ, statoconia). Some of these features (e.g., statoconia, spermatophore organ) are also found in members of the apparent sister group to the Thiaridae — the African-Asian freshwater Paludomidae. Consequently, the combination of features in Hemisinus is consistent with a basal position in the family.

Neactaeonina argentina, a new species from the outer Argentine shelf off Buenos Aires province, is described. The species is characterized by the elongate, low-spired shell, with shouldered, nearly straight whorls, deep suture, and sculpture composed of numerous, broad, flat spiral cords. The radula is similar to that previously described for the type species, Neactaeonina cingulata Thiele, 1912, except in having a greater number of teeth. The present study provides the first information on the anatomy and histology of the genital system, and details of the radula anatomy of Neactaeonina, both unknown to date. The study of anatomical characters demonstrates that Neactaeonina has clear similarities with other Acteonidae, with a combination of features present in Acteon (such as the presence of a strongly calcified shell, with well-developed operculum; mantle cavity opening anteriorly; nervous system with only the cerebropleural ganglia fused; a single allosperm sac associated with the female system; radula without cardinal tooth; and oral cuticle with rod-like processes); and some characters present in acteonid genera other than Acteon (e.g., the number and morphology of teeth, and processes of the oral cuticle). However, Neactaeonina shows some characters thus far not reported for any other genus currently placed into the Acteonidae: salivary glands with laminar structure, male genital system with an open portion, a single allosperm sac opening distally, and a flat and triangular copulatory organ.

Although local correlations between shell phenotype and stream size have often been documented in freshwater mollusks, the species- and even genus-level taxonomy of pleurocerid snails has historically been based almost entirely on aspects of the shell. Here I test the hypothesis that lightly shelled pleurocerid populations inhabiting smaller rivers in east Tennessee and north Georgia, variously assigned to the genus Goniobasis or Elimia, may be local variants of heavily shelled Pleurocera populations downstream. Populations of the nominal species Goniobasis (“Elimia”) acutocarinata, G. clavaeformis, and Pleurocera unciale were sampled from the Powell, Little, and Hiwassee subdrainages of the Tennessee River, and populations nominally Goniobasis carinifera and Pleurocera vestita sampled from the Coahulla subdrainage of the Mobile Basin. A population of Goniobasis simplex was sampled from each of the four subdrainages to calibrate expected levels of genetic divergence. Gene frequencies at ten polymorphic allozyme-encoding loci (15 populations, 30 individuals per population) revealed that each population of Pleurocera was more closely related to its local populations of Goniobasis (or “Elimia”) than to any other population of Pleurocera. All nine populations identified as G. acutocarinata, G. clavaeformis, and P. unciale appear to be conspecific, their minimum genetic identity of 0.771 much greater than the 0.356 minimum identity among the four G. simplex controls. The specific relationship between the nine Tennessee populations and populations of G. carinifera and P. vestita from the Mobile Basin is ambiguous, with identities ranging down to 0.284. This larger set of 11 populations is here referred to as the carinifera group. Evidence that intraspecific variation in shell morphology has risen to the level of the genus suggests that Goniobasis, Elimia, and several other generic nomina be subsumed under Pleurocera (Rafinesque, 1818).

There is general agreement that the vitrinids, a mainly Palaearctic group of semislugs, are higher stylommatophorans, but uncertainty still exists about their relationships. We therefore conducted a phylogenetic study based on morphological characters to determine relationships between genus-group taxa and to test monophyly and revise current taxonomy. Eighteen genus-group taxa — those listed as valid in the recent literature plus the new genus Azorivitrina —were considered using an exemplar approach, with individual species as terminals to avoid a priori assumption of monophyly. At least two species, one of which was the type species, were examined when possible. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using different outgroups consisting of a selection of western Palaearctic limacoidean genera (data partition I, DPI: outgroup consisting of Euconulus, Deroceras, Oxychilus, Tandonia, Vitrea and Troglaegopis; DPII: outgroup Euconulus, Oxychilus, Vitrea and Troglaegopis; DPIII: outgroup Euconulus and Oxychilus). Different approaches were used: parsimony analysis (MP: using PAUP* 4.0; AP: TNT software) and bayesian inference (BI: using MRBAYES). Phylogeny analysis generally had low resolution. The parsimony analysis using implied weights (TNT software) provided the best results (AP found 11 supported clades, MP 11 and BI 8). It did not support monophyly of most genus-group taxa or the monophyletic groups found by Hausdorf (1995, 2002) and Alonso et al. (2000), or the subfamilies and tribes established by Schileyko (1986, 2003), or the family Vitrinidae when the outgroup consisted of a large selection of limacoidean taxa. Support was only found for Canarivitrina, Guerrina, Oligolimax and Vitrinobrachium and some support for Arabivitrina and Azorivitrina, On the contrary, no support was found for Eucobresia, Insulivitrina and Phenacolimax, or for Plutonia sensu Alonso et al. (2000). The most resolved group (but with low support values) was a clade including species of Oligolimax, Sardovitrina, Semilimacella and Vitrina supported by exclusive disposition of the penial retractor above the right ommatophore retractor. These results indicate that a different approach to vitrinid phylogeny and systematics is needed because morphological characters alone do not generate a realistic picture. In the meantime, we ranked the 18 genus-group taxa as distinct genera, although we are perfectly aware that some may be paraphyletic or polyphyletic.

Finally we concisely surveyed all vitrinid genera, listing them in three distinct groups according to stimulator structure: vitrinids with vaginal stimulator (glandula amatoria); vitrinids with diverticular stimulator (atrial/atrial-vaginal/vaginal or penial diverticular stimulator); vitrinids without vaginal or diverticular stimulator. This approach enables easy comparison of taxa with similar distal genital structure and is not intended to have any systematic or phylogenetic value. A short diagnosis of each taxon is given together with re-description of the type species and remarks.

Water temperature plays a crucial role in determining the distribution of aquatic organisms because most are ectothermic. The further spread of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula fluminea, a species causing enormous damage to water intake pipes and electric power plant cooling systems, has been assumed to be limited due to intolerance of very cold water, with a lower lethal temperature of about 2°C. In recent years, however, C. fluminea invaded most of the major rivers in Europe, including sections where the water temperature falls below 2°C for short periods during winter. Here we quantify the cold tolerance of C. fluminea in a controlled laboratory experiment. We show that C. fluminea has a greater cold tolerance than previously assumed. In water of 0°C, clam survival decreased from 100% to 17.5% with increasing exposure from 4 to 9 weeks. Considering actual water temperatures of rivers during winter and ongoing stream warming, we conclude that this invasive clam will establish in a wider range of waterbodies in Europe than previously predicted.

This paper compiles the pre-Linnean iconography of freshwater mussels or naiads and provices an understanding of the historical framework in which they were created. The first book providing a figure of a freshwater mussel would seem to be Hortus sanitatis, an anonymous encyclopaedia first published in 1491. This and other early images of these animals related to the activity of obtaining pearls from Margaritifera margaritifera. The first traditional image of a freshwater mussel, drawn by Rondelet in 1555, was thereafter used by such other early naturalists as Boussuet, Gessner, Aldrovandi, and Jonston. The first microscopists Heide and Leeuwenhoek and pioneer malacologists Lister, D'Argenville and Ginanni were the first to depict the anatomy of naiads. We also have discovered a pre-Linnean image of a living naiad by Poupart showing its typical furrow in the sediments, and a pencil sketch by Linnaeus showing a pearl fishery of M. margaritifera.