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snails and sea-slugs: molluscs


Dr Ponder Page  |  Molluscs Homepage


Marine Micro-molluscs

Research Scientist: Dr Winston Ponder


Ataxocerithium

The majority of marine molluscs are minute, that is less than 5mm in maximum size. These small molluscs are generally less well known than their larger and more familiar counterparts. Because small-sized marine molluscs are also more diverse than larger ones, and can be numerically very abundant, they are a major component of the fauna present in sublittoral and intertidal communities.

While many groups of small-sized marine molluscs still require major revisionary work some are now reasonably well understood. My work has mainly focused on marine New Zealand, Australian, tropical Pacific and Antarctic and sub-Antarctic members of the families Rissoidae, Eatoniellidae, Cingulopsidae, Dialidae and Rissoellidae. The work was been funded over several years by the Australian Research Grants Scheme (ARGS) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

A grant was obtained in 1999 from ABRS to investigate the taxonomy of several groups of small-sized marine bivalves. This project is being undertaken together with Dr Peter Middelfart. The families currently being investigated include Condylocardiidae (includes Cunidae), Cyamiidae, Sportellidae and Galeommatidae (includes Leptonidae, Erycinidae, Lasaeidae, etc.). All of these families include a high proportion of undescribed species.

Publications from this project

  1. Ponder, W.F. (1965) The biology of the genus Arthritica. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 5(8): 75-86.
  2. Ponder, W.F. (1965) A revision of the New Zealand Recent and fossil species of Estea Iredale. 1915. Records of the Auckland Institute Museum, 6(2): 131-161.
  3. Ponder, W.F. (1965) The family Eatoniellidae in New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum, 6(2): 47-99.
  4. Ponder, W.F. (1965) A revision of the New Zealand Recent species previously known as Notosetia Iredale, 1915 (Rissoidae, Gastropoda). Records of Auckland Institute and Museum, 6(2): 101-130.
  5. Ponder, W.F. (1965) A new family of the Rissoacea from New Zealand. Records of the Dominion Museum, 5(18): 177-184.
  6. Ponder, W.F. (1966) The New Zealand species previously known as Zelaxitas Finlay 1927 (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Records of Dominion Museum, 5(17): 163-176.
  7. Ponder, W.F. (1966) On a subterranean snail and tornid from New Zealand. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 10: 35-40.
  8. Ponder, W.F. (1967) The classification of the Rissoidae and Orbitestellidae with descriptions of some new taxa. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Zoology, 9(17): 193-224. 13 plates.
  9. Ponder, W.F. (1967) Observations on the living animal and mode of life of some New Zealand erycinacean bivalves. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Zoology, 10(3): 21-32.
  10. Ponder, W.F. (1968) The morphology of some small New Zealand prosobranchs. Records of the Dominion Museum, 6(6): 61-95.
  11. Ponder, W.F. (1968) Three commensal bivalves from New Zealand. Records of the Dominion Museum, 6(9): 125-131.
  12. Ponder, W.F. (1968) Notes on New Zealand prosobranchs with descriptions of new species and subspecies. Records of the Dominion Museum, 6(8): 113-124.
  13. Ponder, W.F. (1969) Notes on two neoleptonid bivalve molluscs. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 3(2): 262-272.
  14. Ponder, W.F. (1969) Minute Mollusca. Australian Natural History, June 1969: 205-208.
  15. Ponder, W.F. (1970) Some aspects of the morphology of four species of the neogastropod family Marginellidae with a discussion on the evolution of the toxoglossan poison gland. Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 2(1): 55-8l.
  16. Ponder, W.F. (1971) Some New Zealand and Subantarctic bivalves of the Cyamiacea and Leptonacea with descriptions of new taxa. Records of the Dominion Museum, 7(13): 119-141.
  17. Ponder, W.F. (1971) Montacutona ceriantha n.sp., a commensal leptonid bivalve living with Cerianthus. Journal de Conchologie (Paris), 109(1): 15-25.
  18. Ponder, W.F. (1971) A review of the New Zealand neogastropod genus Paratrophon Finlay. (Mollusca: Muricidae). Journal de Conchologie (Paris), 109(3): 110-118.
  19. Ponder, W.F. (1973) Pseudoskenella depressa gen. et. sp. nov., an ectoparasite on Galeolaria. Malacological Review, 6: 119-123.
  20. Ponder, W.F. (1974) Review of the Australian species assigned to Rissopsis Garrett with a description of a new species of Rissopsetia (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia, 3(1): 25-35.
  21. Ponder, W.F. (1975) Microdryas Laseron, 1950 (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Designation of a type species under the Plenary Powers. Z.N. (S) 2121. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 32(3): 192.
  22. Ponder, W.F. (1976) Three species of Littorinidae from southern Australia. Malacological Review, 9(1-2): 105-114.
  23. Ponder, W.F. (1976) The study of Australian micro-Mollusca and its applications (abstract). Malacological Review, 9(1-2): 139.
  24. Ponder. W.F., Yoo, E.K. (1976) A revision of the Australian and tropical Indo-Pacific Tertiary and Recent species of Pisinna (=Estea) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Rissoidae). Records of Australian Museum, 30(10): 150-247.
  25. Ponder, W.F., Yoo, E.K. (1977) A revision of the Australian species of the Rissoellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Records of Australian Museum, 31(4): 133-185.
  26. Ponder, W.F., Yoo, E.K. (1978) A revision of the Eatoniellidae of Australia. Records of Australian Museum, 31(15): 606-658.
  27. Ponder, W.F., Gooding, R. (1978) Four new eulimid gastropods associated with shallow-water diadematid echinoids in the western Pacific. Pacific Science, 32(2): 157-181.
  28. Rosewater, J., Ponder, W.F. (1979) Rectifications in the nomenclature of some Indo-Pacific Littorinidae. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 92(4): 773-782.
  29. Ponder, W.F., Yoo, E.K. (1980) A review of the genera of the Cingulopsidae with a revision of the Australian species. Records of Australian Museum, 33(1): 1-88, figs 1-24.
  30. Ponder, W.F. (1982) The anatomy and relationships of Hydrococcus brazieri (T. Woods) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Rissoacea). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 48: 64-79.
  31. Ponder, W.F., Hall, S.J. (1983) Pelycidiidae, a new family of archaeogastropod molluscs. Nautilus, 97: 30-35.
  32. Ponder, W.F. (1983) Eatoniellidae, Rissoidae, Cingulopsidae, Orbitestellidae and Rissoellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, with a review of the Antarctic and Subantarctic species. British Antarctic Survey, Scientific Report 108: 1-96.
  33. Ponder, W.F. (1983) A reassessment of the classification of some American species assigned to the Rissoidae (sensu lato). Nautilus, 97(3): 90-91.
  34. Ponder, W.F. (1983) A review of the genera of the Barleeidae. Records of the Australian Museum, 35: 231-281.
  35. Ponder, W.F. (1984) A revision of the genera of the Iravadiidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Malacologia, 25: 21-71.
  36. Ponder, W.F. (1985) A review of the genera of the Rissoidae. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 4: l-22l.
  37. Ponder, W.F. (1985) Revision of Botelloides (Mollusca: Gastropoda: (Trochacea). South Australian Mines Department Special Publication, 5: 301-327.
  38. Ponder, W.F. (1985) The anatomy and relationships of Elachisina Dall (Gastropoda : Rissoacea). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 51: 23-34.
  39. Ponder, W.F. (1986) The anatomy and relationships of Emblanda emblematica (Hedley) (Mollusca: Mesogastropoda: Emblandidae n. fam.). Records of the Australian Museum, 37: 343-351.
  40. Ponder, W.F. (1988) The truncatelloidean (= Rissoacean) radiation - a preliminary phylogeny. In: Prosobranch Phylogeny. Ponder, W.F. (ed), pp. 129-166.; Malacological Review, Supplement 4.
  41. Ponder, W.F. (1989) Mediterranean Cingulopsidae, a relict eastern Tethyan fauna (Gastropoda: Cingulopsoidea). Boletino Malacologico, 25: 1-4.
  42. Ponder, W.F. (1990) A gravel beach shelled micro-gastropod assemblage from Ceuta, Strait of Gibraltar, with the description of a new truncatelloidean genus. Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural History, Paris, 12:291-311.
  43. Ponder, W.F. (1991) The anatomy and relationships of the Orbitestellidae (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 56:515-532.
  44. Ponder, W.F. (1991) The anatomy and relationships of a marine valvatoidean (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 56:533-555.
  45. Ponder, W.F. (1991) The anatomy of Diala, with an assessment of its taxonomic position (Mollusca: Cerithioidea). Proceedings of the Marine Biology Workshop, Albany 2, ed. F. G. Wells, pp. 499-519.
  46. Gofas, S., Ponder, W.F. (1991) The habitat and relationships of Plagyostila asturiana (Gastropoda, Rissoidae). Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural History, Paris, 4th Ser. 13: 39-47.
  47. Ponder, W.F., Taylor, J.D. (1992) Predatory shell drilling by two species of Austroginella (Gastropoda: Marginellidae). Journal of Zoology, 228:317-328.
  48. Tillier, S., Ponder, W.F. (1992) New species of Smeagol from Australia and New Zealand, with a discussion of the affinities of the genus (Gastropoda: Pulmonata). Journal of Molluscan Studies, 58:135-155.
  49. Ponder, W.F., de Keyzer, R. (1992) A revision of the genus Diala (Gastropoda; Cerithioidea; Dialidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy, 6:1019-1075.
  50. Worsfold, T.M., Avern, G., Ponder, W.F. (1993) Shallow water rissoiform gastropods from Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean with records of species from Gough Island. Zoologica Scripta, 22:153-166.
  51. Ponder, W.F. (1993) A new cerithiid from south Western Australia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Cerithiidae). Proceedings of the Fifth International Marine Biological Workshop, Rottnest Island, 1, ed. F. G. Wells, pp. 267-277.
  52. Ponder, W.F., Worsfold, T.M. (1994) A review of the rissoiform gastropods of southwestern South America (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Los Angeles County Museum Contributions in Science, 445: 1-63.
  53. Ponder, W.F. (1994) The anatomy and relationships of Finella and Scaliola (Caenogastropoda: Cerithioidea: Scaliolidae). Malacofauna of Hong Kong and Southern China, pp. 215-241. B. Morton (ed), Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.
  54. Ponder, W.F. (1994) The anatomy and relationships of three species of vitrinelliform gastropods from Hong Kong (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea). Malacofauna of Hong Kong and Southern China, pp. 243-281. B. Morton (ed), Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.
  55. Hertz, J. & Ponder, W.F. 1996. Lirobarleeia Ponder, 1983 (Mollusca, Gastropoda): proposed designation of Alvania nigrescens Bartsch & Rehder, 1939 as the type species. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 53(case 2935): 171-172.
  56. Ponder, W. F. 1999. Calopia (Calopiidae), a new genus and family of estuarine gastropods (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea) from Australia. Molluscan Research, 20: 17-60.
  57. Ponder, W..F. (1998). Family Marginellidae. In Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. and Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Vol. 5. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. Pp. 838-841.
  58. Ponder, W..F. (1998). Family Volutomitridae. As last, p. 842-843.
  59. Ponder, W. F. (1999). Calopia (Calopiidae), a new genus and family of estuarine gastropods (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea) from Australia. Molluscan Research, 20: 17-60.
  60. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G., 1998. Superfamily Galeommatoidea. In Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. and Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Vol. 5. CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne. Pp. 316-318.
  61. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Cyamioidea. As last, p. 318-322.
  62. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Cingulopsoidea. As last, p. 741-744.
  63. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Rissooidea. As last, p. 745-766.
  64. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Valvatoidea. As last, p. 854-858.
  65. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Rissoelloidea. As last, p. 862-864.
  66. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Omalogyrioidea. As last, p. 864-865.
  67. Ponder, W.F. & de Keyzer, R.G. (1998). Superfamily Pyramidelloidea. As last, p. 865-869.

Related topics

Hydrobiidae of Australasia
Phylogeny of Cerithioidean Snails

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