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Freshwater Molluscs of Australia

Research Scientist: Dr Winston Ponder

Several projects involving freshwater molluscs are being undertaken in addition to the projects described separately on hydrobiid snails and mound springs. One of these is a CD Rom interactive guide and key to the freshwater and estuarine molluscs of New South Wales funded by the NSW Environmental Trust. Others include taxonomic revisions of several families of snails of Australia, mainly funded by the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). One of these families, the river snails (viviparids), include at least one critically endangered species. This family, and the other families being investigated (Bithyniidae, Glacidorbidae), contain several new species from various parts of Australia.

Interactive Key to Freshwater Molluscs of Australia
A major new project - an interactive key to all the 350 species of Australian freshwater molluscs, has been funded by ABRS from the beginning of 1999 and is scheduled to be completed early in 2002. This key will be a species level identification tool and information retrieval system. It will provide detailed distribution maps, colour illustrations, information on the ecology and biology of each species and information on parasites.

Publications from this Project

1. Ponder, W.F. (1975) The occurrence of Lymnaea (Psudosuccinea) columella, an intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, in Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal, 51(10): 494-495.
2. Ponder, W.F. (1986) Glacidorbidae (Glacidorbiacea : Basommatophora), a new family and superfamily of operculate freshwater gastropods. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, 87: 53-83.
3. Ponder, W.F., Chilcott, S.J., Fulton, W., Kirkpatrick, J. & Richardson, A.M.M. (1994). Streams and rivers in the World Heritage area of South Western Tasmania. Pp. 114-122. In Smith, S. J. & Banks, M. R. (eds), `Tasmanian wilderness - World Heritage values'. (Royal Society of Tasmania: Hobart).
4. Ponder, W.F. 1994. Australian freshwater Mollusca: Conservation priorities and indicator species. Records Queensland Museum, 36: 191-196.
5. Ponder, W.F. 1997. Freshwater molluscs of northeast Tasmania. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, 103:185-191.
6. Ponder, W.F. 1997. Conservation status, threats and habitat requirements of Australian terrestrial and freshwater Mollusca. Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria, 56(2): 421-430.
7. Ponder, W.F. & Waterhouse, J. 1997. A new genus and species of Lymnaeidae from the lower Franklin River, south western Tasmania. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 63: 441-468.

See also the references listed in Hydrobiidae of Australasia, Conservation of Mollusca and Mound Spring Conservation.

Related Projects

Hydrobiidae of Australasia
Conservation of Mollusca
Mound Spring Conservation

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