QL 401 W37e V. 39 2006 THE WESTERN SOCIETY OF MALACOLOGISTS ANNUAL REPORT For 2006 Volume 39 June 2009 HELDfclLrsEUM eiehaj>y RECEIVED Abstracts and Papers from the 39* Annual Meeting of the Western Society of Malacologists Head with the American Malacological Society at the University of Washington, Seattle July 29 to August 3, 2006 Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 Contents Abstracts and papers from the 38"’ Western Society of Malacologists meeting Alvin Alejandrino 9 PRELIMINARY PHYLOGENY OF AEOLIDIDINA (GASTROPODA: NUDIBRANCHIA) BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL 16S RRNA AND COI GENES ALIEN IDENTIFICATION: TRACKING INVASIVE Philine SPP. USING GENETIC TECHNIQUES Jamal Asif and Patrick J. Krug 9 ALIEN IDENTIFICATION: TRACKING INVASIVE Philine SPP. USING GENETIC TECHNIQUES David W. Behrens, John Steinbeck, Michael D. Behrens and Jeffrey H. R. Goddard 10 OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSKS FROM DIABLO CANYON, CALIFORNIA: A 25 YEAR QUANTITATIVE RECORD Hans Bertsch 1 1 JOHN STEINBECK, BAHIA DE LOS AnGELES, AND NUDIBRANCHS Don B. Cadien and Kelvin Barwick 1 1 APLACOPHORES (CAUDOFOVEATA AND SOLENOGASTRES) OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIGHT David Campbell, S. Clark, C. Lydeard, Edward J. Johannes and Terrence J. Frest 12 MOLECULAR EVIDENCE SUPPORTS REVISION OF THE GENUS Juga (CERITHIOIDEA: PLEUROCERIDAE: SEMISULCOSPIRINAE) K. A. Coates, E. L. Meyer and Carole S. Hickman 12 Cittarium pica VETIGASTROPODA: TROCHE) AE IN BERMUDA Robert H. Cowie, K. A. Hayes and C. T. Tran 13 THE HORTICULTURAL INDUSTRY AS A VECTOR OF ALIEN SNAILS AND SLUGS: RESULTS OF SURVEYS IN HAWAII Cheryl L. Davis, Robert Hershler and Christopher L. Kitting 14 ANOTHER INTRODUCED MOLLUSK DISCOVERED IN SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY Benoit Dayrat 14 A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF BASAL DISCODORIDIDAE (NUDIBRANCHIA, GASTROPODA): WHAT’S NEXT? Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 3 Jimmy DuFoe, John Catalan! and John Pojeta, Jr. 15 ORDOVICIAN CHITONS AND CEPHALOPODS FROM WISCONSIN Douglas J. Eernisse 16 ADVANCES IN CHITON RESEARCH Terrence J. Frest and Edward J. Johannes 16 NEW FRONTIERS IN WESTERN U.S. FRESHWATER MALACOLOGY Terrence J. Frest, Edward J. Johannes, Robert Hershler and Hsiu-Ping Liu 17 ADVANCES IN Fluminicola (RISSOOIDEA: LITHOGLYPHIDAE) RESEARCH Jeffrey H. R. Goddard and Alicia Hermosillo 17 DEVELOPMENTAL MODE IN OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSCS FROM THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC Terrence M. Gosliner 18 A DECADE LATER: WHAT WE KNOW AND STILL DON’T KNOW ABOUT OPISTHOBRANCH BIODIVERSITY John Greenamyer and Michael D. Miller 19 NUDIBRANCH SAFARI Carole S. Hickman 19 EVIDENCE FOR PREDOMINANCE OF CONSTRUCTIONAL CONSTRAINT IN THREE COMMON FEATURES OF GASTROPOD VELIGER LARVAE Rebecca S. Johnson 20 Cadlina AND THE CHROMODORIDS R. P. Kelly and Douglas J. Eernisse 20 DIVERSE PATTERNS OF GENE FLOW IN WEST COAST CHITONS WITH SIMILAR DEVELOPMENT Christopher L. Kitting and Cheryl L. Davis 21 NATIVE SNAILS SEMI-ISOLATED FROM OTHER SNAIL POPULATIONS IN SMALL CENTRAL CALIFORNIA BRACKISH MARSHES Alan J. Kohn and Chris Meyer 21 Conus RADULAR CHARACTERS IN TAXONOMY AND PHYLOGENY: CONGRUENCE WITH MOLECULAR GENETICS? Patrick J. Krug, Ryan A. Ellingson and E. Hidalgo 22 CARIBBEAN SACOGLOSSANS; CRYPTIC GENETIC DIVERGENCE AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY Bernhard Lieb, Klaus Streit, R. P. Kelly and Douglas J. Eernisse 23 HEMOCYANIN MEETS CHITONS: PHYLOGENY OF POLYPLACOPHORANS REVISITED BY HEMOCYANIN GENES Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 4 A. V. Martynov 23 OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSCA OF RUSSIA: THE NEGRLECTED DIVERSITY OE COLD WATERS A. V. Martynov 24 ARCHAIC TERGIPEDIDAE OF THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC: A NEW GENUS FROM THE BARENTS SEA AND REVISION OE THE GENUS Guyvalvoria vayssiere WITH DESCRIPTIONS OP TWO NEW SPECIES James H. McLean 25 GENERA OP THE Crepidula-GKOGV: REVISED DEFINITIONS BASED ON CHARACTERS OF THE SHELL MUSCLE AND SEPTUM Sandra Millen 26 OPISTHOBRANCH RESEARCH IN THE LAST DECADE Sandra Millen 26 PRELIMINARY PHYLOGENY OF AEOLIDIDINA (GASTROPODA: NUDIBRANCHIA) BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL 16S rRNA AND COI GENES Michael D. Miller 27 INTERNET BRANCHOLOGY: WHERE HAVE WE BEEN AND WHERE ARE WE HEADING? Christine E. Parent 27 HABITAT VARIATION PREDICTS INTRASPECIFIC SHELL SHAPE VARIATION IN GALAPAGOS BULIMULID LAND SNAILS Timothy A. Pearce and K. P. Hotopp 28 UPDATING KNOWLEDGE OP LAND SNAIL DISTRIBUTIONS IN NEW YORK STATE John Pojeta, Jr. and Jimmy DuFoe 29 Echinochiton dufoei (POLYPLACOPHORA): NEW RECONSTRUCTION Stephaney S. Puchalski, C. Johnson and Douglas J. Eernisse 30 SAMPLING BIAS AND THE PERCEIVED QUALITY OP THE FOSSIL RECORD OP CHITONS (MOLLUSCA, POLYPLACOPHORA): CHANGING A PARADIGM A. J. Reft and Janet R. Voight 30 SEM OBSERVATIONS OP THE SIPHONS OP WOOD BORING CLAMS OP XYLOPHAGA (MYOIDEA: PHOLADIDAE) A. Rodriguez, R. P. Kelly and Douglas J. Eernisse 3 1 WHO SAYS IT’S NOT EASY TO GET AROUND IN LA: PALOS VERDES PENINSULA IS AN INEFFECTIVE GENETIC BARRIER POR CHITONS AND LIMPETS Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 5 V. A. Rodriguez and Patrick J. Krug 32 PHYSIOLOGICAL TOLERANCE AND RANGE LMITS OF THE CONGENERIC SACOGLOSSANS Alderia modesta AND A. willowi Bruce Runnegar and Michael J. Vendrasco 32 PALEONTOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ORIGIN OF VALVES IN POLYPLACOPHORAN MOLLUSCS J. Smith and R. English 33 AGRICULTURAL INTERNET MONITORING SYSTEM (AMS) LAUNCH AND RESULTS OF MOLLUSK HITS Vic Smith and Terrence M. Gosliner 34 TWO NEW SPECIES OF Marionia (MOLLUSCA: NUDIBRANCHIA) FROM THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION Timothy D. Stebbins and Douglas J. Eernisse 34 DEEP WATER CHITONS KNOWN FROM BENTHIC MONITORING PROGRAMS IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIGHT Carla Stout 35 PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GENUS Dendronotus (GASTROPODA: NUDIBRANCHIA) WITH INSIGHT INTO WORLD-WIDE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS Klaus Streit and Bernhard Lieb 36 HEMOCYANIN GENES: HOW DID THEY EVOLVE? Charles F. Sturm, Timothy A. Pearce and Angel Valdes 36 THE MOLLUSKS: A GUIDE TO THEIR STUDY, COLLECTION, AND PRESERVATION-A NEW PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY Anel Ramirez Torres and Douglas J. Eernisse 37 MORPHOMETRICS OF Callistochiton elenensis (MOLLUSCA: POLYPLACOPHORA) FROM THE BAHIA DE LA PAZ, B. C. S, MEXICO Cynthia D. Trowbridge, Yoshiaki J. Hirano and Yayoi M. Hirano 38 SACOGLOSSAN OPISTHOBRANCHS ON NW PACIFIC SHORES: Stiliger berghi BABA 1937 AND Elysia sp. n. FILAMENTOUS RED ALGAE Michael J. Vendrasco, C. Z. Fernandez and Bruce Runnegar 38 AESTHETE CANAL MORPHOLOGY IN NINE CHITONS REVEALED BY EPOXY CASTS AND A DISCUSSION OF SMILAR SHELL PORE SYSTEMS IN CAMBRIAN MOLLUSCS Janet R. Voight 39 OBSERVATIONS OF DEEP-SEA OCTOPODID BEHAVIOR FROM UNDERSEA VEHICLES Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 6 Andrea Walther THE CASE OF THE MYSTERY LIMPET - IS Ferrissiafmgilis A CRYPTIC INVADER OF EUROPEAN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS? 40 Amy R. Wethington 41 WSM/AMS FIELD TRIP 2006 Timothy A. Pearce 42 AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY LAND SNAIL FIELD TRIP, 3 AUGUST 2006, WESTERN WASHINGTON. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 7 PRELIMINARY PHYLOGENY OF AEOLIDIDINA (GASTROPODA: NUDIBRANCHIA) BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL 16S RRNA AND COI GENES Alvin Alejandrino Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 9007 One of four large infraorders of nudibranchs, aeolids are speciose due in part to synonomy and polymorphism. Traditional taxonomy involving morphological characters partially caused this problem due to the subjectivity of characters interpreted by different researchers. Recently molecular genetics has provided an added tool in taxonomy, through phylogenetic analysis. Valles’ (2002) work on Kaloplocamus (Doridina: Polyceridae) and Plocamopherus (Doridina: Polyceridae) was the first to combine the subfields for nudibranchs and is being used as the model for deriving a taxonomic treatment for aeolids. Currently, only four reviews (Rudman, 1980,1982; Gosliner & Kuzirian, 1990; Gosliner & Willan, 1991) have been conducted on the aeolids and no family level molecular phylogeny exists. Morphological characters and the large subunit (LSU) fragment of the mitochondrial 16s ribosomal RNA, approximately 1400bp long in nudibranchs (Valles, 2002) are being utilized for reconstruction of the aeolid phylogeny. The cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene is brought into play as an additional molecular marker. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic relationships are being determined through PAUP* (Swofford, 2000) using maximum parsimony, and branch support is estimated by Bremer analysis (Bremer, 1994). Molecular relationships are being established with maximum likelihood as implemented in Mr. Bayes (Heulsenbeck & Ronquist, 2001). Bootstrap (Felsenstein, 1985) is applied to determine support for nodes on the trees. Preliminary molecular findings indicate some monophyly on the genus level but largely remain unresolved until more data (morphological and molecular) are obtained. ALIEN IDENTIFICATION: TRACKING INVASIVE Philine spp. USING GENETIC TECHNIQUES Jamal Asif and Patrick J. Krug Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032 Non-indigenous marine invertebrates are invading estuaries at an alarming rate after introduction via ballast water, hull fouling, or mariculture. Recognizing incipient and historical invasions is critical to management and containment strategies. Morphological identification of marine invertebrates can be difficult, however, due to a lack of diagnostic characters and phenotypic variability. As a result, many biological invasions go undetected for decades because invaders are not recognized as alien species. Both native and invasive species of the cephalaspidean opisthobranch genus Philine are found on the west coast of the United States. Gosliner proposed in 1995 that the New Zealand endemic P. auriformis had been introduced into San Francisco Bay and subsequently spread along the coast, but this identification was controversial; other authorities claimed the invader was not P. auriformis based on morphology of the Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 8 gizzard plates, penis and shell. It was subsequently proposed that up to 4 different Philine spp. may have invaded the northeastern Pacific, but confirmation has been lacking. On local mudflats and in deep water trawls of the Los Angeles Harbor, Philine spp. are the most abundant mollusc, prompting our assessment of species composition in this group using molecular methods. We obtained specimens of the two native New Zealand species, P. auriformis and P. angasi, and collected slugs from the intertidal and subtidal in southern California. Portions of the mitochondrial 16S and cytochrome oxidase I genes were sequenced from all specimens. To date, all shallow-water Philine sequenced from southern California were genetically identical to P. auriformis from New Zealand, confirming Gosliner’s initial report. We will present additional data on the identity of deep-water Philine spp. and discuss DNA bar-coding approaches to identifying cryptic invasive species in taxonomically challenging groups such as opisthobranchs. OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSKS FROM DIABLO CANYON, CALIFORNIA: A 25 YEAR, QUANTITATIVE RECORD D. W. Behrens\ John Steinbeck^, Michael D. Behrens ^ and Jeffrey H. R. Goddard‘S * California Academy of Sciences 5091 Debbie Court, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 dave @ seachallengers .com "Tenera Corporation, 141 Suburban Rd., #A2, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 ^Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 98447 \larine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 goddard@lifesci.ucsb.edu Environmental monitoring programs designed to determine the effects of construction and operation of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant on the adjacent coastline have amassed 25 years of data on the flora, fauna, and physical oceanographic characteristics of the region. Population information on opisthobranch mollusks present during this monitoring is presented here. Eight hundred seventy-six individual specimens representing 32 species were found subtidally, and 1642 individual specimens of 41 species were recorded intertidally. Of the total 47 species, six species were observed exclusively in the intertidal zone, while 12 species were found only in the subtidal. The effect of the power plant operation on the assemblage was seen only in the addition of two species, which became common in close proximity to the plant. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 9 JOHN STEINBECK, BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, AND NUDIBRANCHS Hans Bertsch Departamento de Ingeniero en Pesquerias, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico 192 Imperial Beach Blvd. # A, Imperial Beach, CA 91932 hansmarvida@sbcglobal.net Bahia de los Angeles, Baja California, on the Sea of Cortez, has been a site of molluscan interest since the first native Cochirm lived there — supporting themselves from the fresh water springs, the abundance of the ocean, and by plant and animal products from the land. A seminal event in our knowledge of Bahfa de los Angeles invertebrates was the 1940 visit of John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts, immortalized in the scientific collecting data, and the literary and philosophical text of Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research. In the six decades since their visit, numerous oceanographic expeditions have studied this unique faunal region. Early gastropod and pelecypod surveys by James H. McLean and Eugene V. Coan provided more detailed, yet preliminary, data bases of molluscan biodiversity. Recent intensive and long-term studies have made significant contributions to the natural history, biogeography, and taxonomy of opisthobranchs, clarifying our understanding of the marvelous marine life of Bahfa de los Angeles, so eloquently described by Steinbeck and Ricketts. APLACOPHORES (CAUDOFOVEATA AND SOLENOGASTRES) OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIGHT Donald B. Cadien\ Kelvin Barwick^, ^Los Angeles County Sanitation District, 24501 S. Figueroa, Carson, CA 90745 ^16391 Del Oro Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 kbarwick @ ocsd.com The close chiton allies in the Caudofoveata and Solenogastres (collectively called the aplacophores) are scaled shell-less mollusks known mostly from bathyal or abyssal depths. They comprise a significant portion of the biota there. It has been suggested they fill the ecological role played by polychaete worms in shallower communities. Their identification has always been difficult and reserved for specialists. In an effort to simplify identification we used the collections from a regional survey of the Southern California Bight in 2003 to test a new approach using external morphology only. We had a good deal of success, but found that external morphology alone was not enough. There was sufficient convergence in external features of Caudofoveata that radular dissections were needed for confirmation of some taxa. In the Solenogastres, the identity of the animals could not be determined without sectioning and close inspection of the internal anatomy, but morphotypes could be reliably separated at species level in most cases. Tools were created to aid routine determination of aplacophore species from the region, primarily based on external morphology. The report summarized in the poster is available Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 10 for free down-load at scamit.org. MOLECULAR EVIDENCE SUPPORTS REVISION OF THE GENUS Jiiga (CERITHIOIDEA: PLEUROCERIDAE: SEMISULCOSPIRINAE) David Campbell', S. Clark', C. Lydeard', Edward J. Johannes^, T. Frest“ 'Scientific Collections, University of Alabama ^DEDCIS Consultants, 2517 NE 65th St., Seattle, WA 98115 The current classification of Juga, the freshwater cerithioidean in northwestern North American drainages from central California to Washington, largely reflects traditional assessments of shell morphology. Phylogenetic analysis of sequence data for the coxl and 16S genes indicate that the currently recognized subgenera are not monophyletic and that many more species exist than are recognized in current classifications. In particular, detailed sampling of the upper Sacramento system, including the Pit River drainage, found species-level variation between many populations currently treated as J. acutifilosa and J. nigrina. The newly recognized clades are largely concordant with biogeographic regions and with new anatomical data. The large increase in the number of species raises the conservation priority of most populations. The current molecular data also support previous studies that placed Juga closer to Semisulcospira and other northeast Asian genera rather than to eastern North American genera. Cittarium pica (VETIGASTROPODA: TROCHIDAE), IN BERMUDA K. A. Coates', E. L.Meyer' and Carole S. Hickman ^ 'Bermuda Department of Conservation Services, 40 North Shore Road, Elatts EL04, Bermuda ^Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 caroleh @ socrates.berkeley.edu Cittarium pica (Linnaeus, 1858), is the largest gastropod inhabiting rocky intertidal shores of the Caribbean region and Bermuda, reaching shell heights on the order of 150 mm. Also referred to as a “whelk,” “wilk” or “magpie shell,” it has been exploited heavily by humans for food and fish bait throughout its geographic range. It suffered local extinction in Bermuda some time between the late Pleistocene and mid- 1600’s. Reintroduction of the species to Bermuda in the mid 1980’s is a remarkable conservation achievement, with what appear to be among the healthiest remaining populations of the species throughout its distributional range. Research on the basic biology of C. pica in Bermuda was initiated by the Bermuda Ministry of the Environment as part of a program to manage and protect marine resources. We report some of the results to date from a long-term program to monitor population structure as well as results of recently-initiated studies to examine growth rates and longevity and to characterize reproductive biology of the species. Findings include considerable variation in growth rates among individuals over time as well as indications that spawning is not synchronous. Investigations of alleged broadcasting of sperm by some individuals when disturbed show unequivocally that the peculiar white fluid exudate does not contain gametes and is a hypobranchial gland secretion of as yet Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 11 undetermined function. Proposed documentation of the population genetics of C. pica will be undertaken to illuminate the history of insular populations throughout the Caribbean and Western Atlantic as well as to develop a model for management and protection of extant populations. THE HORTICULTURAL INDUSTRY AS A VECTOR OF ALIEN SNAILS AND SLUGS: RESULTS OF SURVEYS IN HAWAII R. H. Cowie, K. A. Hayes , C. T. Tran Center for Conservation Research and Training, University of Hawaii, 3050 Maile Way, Gilmore 409, Honolulu, HI 96822 Alien species are being moved around the world at unprecedented rates as a result of globalization of trade and travel. Understanding the causes and mechanisms of spread is important in order to improve quarantine measures, increase awareness among those transporting these species, and halt their spread to new areas. Reports from various countries identify the horticultural industry as perhaps the most important vector of snails and slugs, as also appears to be so in Hawaii. We surveyed nurseries, botanical gardens and similar facilities on the six largest Hawaiian Islands. We recorded 30 species of terrestrial snails and slugs, of which all but two (Tornatellides sp., Philonesia sp.) are alien; four, a phylomycid, an assimineid and two succineids, all as yet undetermined, had not been previously recorded in Hawaii. In total, 39 non-native terrestrial snail and slug species are now established in Hawaii. In addition to the four newly recorded species, the following constitute new records of species on particular islands: Deroceras sp. (Lanai), Liardetia doliolum (Kauai), Ovachlamys fulgens (Kauai, Maui), Polygyra cereolus (Molokai, Lanai), Gastrocopta servilis (Lanai), Euglandina rosea (Lanai), Subulina octona (Lanai, Maui), Paropeas achatinaceum (Lanai), Veronicella cubensis (Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, Hawaii), Laevicaulis alte (Kauai, Maui). Excluding the presumed native Tornatellides sp. and Philonesia sp., 22 species were found on Oahu, 19 on Kauai, eight on Molokai, nine on Lanai, 15 on Maui, and 10 on Hawaii. The number found at each location ranged from one to 14. The 28 introduced species recorded in the survey are from many parts of the world. One is a Pacific island species, four are African, two European, four North American, one is holarctic, six are Asian and/or Australasian, five are South and/or Central American or Caribbean, and the natural ranges of five are unknown because their specific identities are unknown. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 12 ANOTHER INTRODUCED MOLLUSK DISCOVERED IN SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY Cheryl L. Davis \ Robert Hershler", Christopher L. Kitting' 'Department of Biological Sciences and Shore Laboratory, California State University, Haward, CA 94542 chris.kitting@csueastbay.edu "Department of Systematic Biology, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, NHB W-305, MRC 163, Washington, D.C. 20013 San Francisco Bay contains the largest introduced fauna on the Pacific coast of the United States, with over 250 invasive species, including many mollusks, documented in marine, brackish and fresh water tidal areas of this estuary. Patchy, previously unrecorded populations of aquatic cochliopid snails were recently discovered in two restored tidal marshes and a non-tidal pool in southern Suisun Bay, San Francisco Estuary, during a habitat-monitoring program (1999-2001). Another population of these tiny gastropods subsequently was found (2005) in a marsh in San Pablo Bay, northern San Francisco Bay. Morphologic and mtDNA evidence was used to identify this snail as Littoridinops monroensis, an estuarine-freshwater species distributed in coastal habitats from Georgia to Mississippi. Core samples obtained at one of San Francisco Estuary sites suggest the longstanding presence of a second cochliopid species whose taxonomic status is currently being investigated. This unidentified snail was the most abundant species at some tidal sites, but spatial patterns were evident at one site and L. monroensis was the only cochliopid detected at the non-tidal site. Populations of L. monroensis have persisted at the southern Suisun Bay sites for more than four years, surviving sometimes freezing ambient winter temperatures; which is surprising given that native populations of these snails are associated with warm climates. MtDNA evidence suggests that L. monroensis from the San Francisco Estuary is little differentiated relative to native populations and probably represents a recent introduction. The possible mode of introduction of L. monroensis is still under investigation. A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF BASAL DISCODORIDIDAE (NUDIBRANCHIA, GASTROPODA): WHAT’S NEXT? Benoit Dayrat University of California, Merced, P.O. Box 2039, Merced, CA 95344 Basal Discodorididae, especially Discodoris and Peltodoris, were revised for the first time: nearly 200 nominal species were considered; all type specimens available were re-examined; hundreds of non-type specimens were dissected and described for their entire anatomy. I will use this work to illustrate the idea that taxonomic revisions are by no means an ending, but rather are new starting points for research projects. Indeed, taxonomic revisions are critical in helping us sort what we know from what we do not know in a particular taxon. This is true for species boundaries as well as for supra- specific relationships. So, if taxonomic revisions are invaluable syntheses of past studies, they also deliver very important messages to future generations. In particular, taxonomic revisions unveil all the questions that will require further investigation, e.g., which species should be dealt with through an integrative approach (i.e., different kinds of data). Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 13 and which are the parts of the tree that are still very poorly supported. Contrary to what many non-taxonomists may think, taxonomic revisions are a perfect illustration that taxonomy is, as all scientific disciplines, a dynamic process. ORDOVICIAN CHITONS AND CEPHALOPODS FROM WISCONSIN Jimmy DuFoe\ John Catalani^, J. Pojeta, Jr.^ ’Milwaukee Public Museum, 417 Grove St., Rockton, IL 61072 ^Milwaukee Public Museum, Woodbridge, IL ^United States Geological Survey and Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 pojetaj@si.edu This exhibit represents 15 years of collecting by DuFoe. The fossils are from a 7- 15 centimeter thick, mollusk-rich bed at Bauer's Quarry west of Beloit, Wisconsin. Information about three species of chitons was published (Pojeta et al., 2003; Hoare & Pojeta, 2006). The first information about the cephalopods is given herein by Catalani. The fossils are from the Forreston Member, Grand Detour Formation of Turinian (Middle Ordovician) age (about 457 Ma). Most fossils are found parallel to bedding in "pockets" of accumulation. The cephalopods range in size from a few centimeters to over three meters. To date have been found representatives of all three known subclasses of lower Paleozoic cephalopods, and eight of the 1 1 recognized orders belonging to 1 1 genera. Thus, this thin bed has yielded 44% of the known genera found in the Forreston Member. The primitive Ellesmerocerida are represented by the small breviconic genus Cyrtocerina. The large Endocerida is known from Endoceras. The Actinocerida, having expanded siphuncles, are known from the genera Actinoceras and the flat-fish-like Gonioceras. Anaspyroceras represents the straight-shelled Orthocerida. Pseudorthocerids, another straight-shelled group, is known from the genus Monomuchites. The truncated conchs of the Ascocerida are known from the genus Redpathoceras. The curved shells of the common order Oncocerida belong to Beloitoceras, Richardsonoceras, and Zittelloceras. The planispirally coiled Tarphycerida is known from Plectoceras. Hoare, Richard D., and John Pojeta, Jr. 2006. Ordovician Polyplacophora (Mollusca) from North America. Paleontological Society Memoir 64: 27 pp. Pojeta, John, Jr., Douglas J. Eernisse, Richard D. Hoare and M. D. Henderson. 2003. Echinochiton dufoei: A new spiny Ordovician chiton. Journal of Paleontology 77 (4): 646-654. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 14 ADVANCES IN CHITON RESEARCH Douglas J. Eernisse Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse @ exchange, fullerton.edu Chitons have long been subjects of detailed anatomical study while monographs and revisions have distinguished 900+ living and 480+ fossil species worldwide. More recent morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses have better resolved chiton phylogenetic relationships, as partly reflected in Sirenko’s newest classification (2006; Venus 65:27-49). Most familiar living chiton species belong to Chitonida, which is supported by shell, gill, egg hull, sperm, and molecular synapomorphies. Other living chitons are mostly deep water and belong to Lepidopleurida, which I provisionally regard as monophyletic and sister taxon of Chitonida. More basal Paleozoic chitons grouped as “paleoloricates” are still poorly resolved and almost certainly paraphyletic. Recent exciting discoveries have substantially expanded the disparity of what is considered a chiton, and significantly relate to the earliest evolution of Mollusca. Within Chitonida, my most recent molecular analyses support the basal position of Callochitonidae as sister taxon to an unnamed clade whose monophyly is supported by derived sperm and egg hull features. This clade is divided into Chitonina and Acanthochitonina (sensu Sirenko). I first reported in 1984 a striking corroboration of this division based on correspondence between egg hull and gill arrangement patterns. Members of Chitonina have spiny egg hulls whereas Acanthochitonina have cup-like egg hulls and derived abanal gill placement, and both are supported by molecular evidence. Relationships within Chitonina are largely unresolved while my molecular analyses robustly support subclades within Acanthochitonina, partly in conflict with Sirenko’s (2006) classification. Specifically, it will be necessary to reassign Tonicella, Cryptochiton and Dendrochiton to the predominantly northern Pacific Mopaliidae, removing the more southern Plaxiphora and Nuttallochiton to a basal position within Acanthochitonina. Lepidochitonidae includes the northern Atlantic/Mediterranean Lepidochitona spp., sister of remaining lepidochitonids including two separate northern Pacific radiations: Nuttallina spp., etc., and Cyanoplax plus Schizoplax. These changes imply largely endemic radiations of separate northern Pacific chiton lineages. NEW FRONTIERS IN WESTERN U.S. FRESHWATER MALACOLOGY Terrence J. Frest and Edward J. Johannes DEIXIS Consultants, 2517 NE 65“^ St., Seattle, WA 981 15 Western U.S. non-marine mollusks have long been recognized for their diversity and peculiarities of biogeography and distribution. Application of molecular methods and careful detailed study of several at the genus and species levels indicates that diversity estimates of Frest and Roth (1995) may have to be drastically revised up or down, depending on genus. The first mtDNA phyklogenies very recently have become available for some of the most prominent and characteristic western freshwater snails, slugs, and shelled terrestrial forms. Diversity at the species level has often been underestimated; but no single pattern or model can accomodate all western endemic forms. Examples are given from western springsnails (Pyrgulopsis and Fluminicola). Western freshwater Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 15 habitats differ from eastern in that headwater (spring) diversity collectively far exceeds that of downstream sites. In a semi-arid environment, springs may be more stable and persistent than streams. ADVANCES IN Fluminicola (RISSOOIDEA: LITHOGLYPHIDAE) RESEARCH Terrence J. Frest\ Edward J. Johannes\ Robert Hershler^ and Hsiu-Ping Liu^ ^DEDCIS Consultants, 2517 NE 65"’ St., Seattle, WA 981 15 ^Department of Systematic Biology, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, NHB W-305, MRC 163, Washington, D.C. 20013 ^Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, CO 80208 Among the most widespread freshwater gastropods in the western U. S. is the lithoglyphid rissooidean Fluminicola {s.L). This group was reviewed using traditional shell and anatomical features as recently as 1996. Hershler & Frest (1996) recognized nine extant taxa, with the genotype likely extinct. A cladistic analysis indicated that “Fluminicola^' was distinct from European Lithoglyphus and eastern U. S. Gillia and Somatogyrus but was a composite of at least two phylogenetically distinct lineages (paraphyletic). Continuing research over the last decade has somewhat clarified the phylogenetic position of this group. Detailed study of Upper Sacramento-Pit River taxa indicated that at least 13 distinct taxa were present in this single drainage. Perhaps four major lineages are represented. Previous morphological examination had indicated a similar number of species-level taxa: but morphospecies were not necessarily identical to DNA entities, and results of analyses using molecular criteria for first-cut discrimination seemed preferable. The preferred methodology was analysis of mitochondrial DNA followed by description as species of monophyletic lineages that were also morphologically distinct. Detailed survey of the drainage immediately north, portions of the middle Klamath in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, indicates the presence of an additional 14 or more morphospecies, none likely identical to Upper Sacramento system forms. DNA study over the whole range will likely discriminate many more relatively strongly endemic taxa. DEVELOPMENTAL MODE IN OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSCS FROM THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC Jeffrey H. R. Goddard,* Alicia Hermosillo^ ^Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 goddard @ lifesci.ucsb.edu ^Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biologicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara; 4619 San Dario Ave., Box 138, Laredo, TX 78041 gueri25 @ hotmail.com Little has been published on mode of development in benthic opisthobranchs from the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. In late February 2006, we found 5 1 species of opisthobranchs at intertidal and subtidal sites near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The egg masses of 2 1 of these were positively identified in the field and collected, along with the adults, for observation in the laboratory. An additional 15 species, including a new Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 16 species of Eubrancims, were collected and laid egg masses in captivity in the laboratory. Based on observations of uncleaved eggs, developing embryos, or hatching larvae from these egg masses, all 36 species were determined to hatch as planktotrophic larvae. One species, Elysiella pusilla, deposited irregular strands of extra-capsular yolk in its egg mass. The veliger larvae of Pleurobmnchus areolatus, like those of other pleurobranchs (but not most other opisthobranchs), hatched without an operculum. Combined with previously existing data, mode of development is now known for 67 species of benthic, shallow-water nudibranchs from the eastern tropical Pacific. Two of these species hatch as juveniles, three as lecithotrophic larvae, and the remaining 62 species as planktotrophic larvae. The prevalence of planktotrophic development in the eastern tropical Pacific is similar to that in the northeast Pacific Ocean, but appears to be much higher than in either the Indo-Pacific region or western tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. A DECADE LATER: WHAT WE KNOW AND STILL DON’T KNOW ABOUT OPISTHOBRANCH BIODIVERSITY Terrence M. Gosliner California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118 tgosliner@calacademy.org A decade ago, the status of knowledge of Indo-Pacific opisthobranch biodiversity was reviewed. At that time, it was estimated that approximately one-third of the Indo- Pacific opisthobranch biodiversity was undescribed. Since then, many new opisthobranch taxa have been described globally, with the majority of new taxa being named from the tropical Indo-Pacific. A review of that progress is presented within biogeographical, taxonomic and phylogenetic contexts. Current estimates of biodiversity of the Indo- Pacific are updated as are estimates for the eastern and western Atlantic, the eastern Pacific, and southern Africa. Recent studies of the opisthobranchs collected from below normal scuba diving depths are suggestive of the fact that deep-water biotas contain a large percentage of undescribed taxa. New collecting methods employed in shallow- water also greatly increase estimates of overall biodiversity. Recent extensive surveys of Philippine opisthobranchs, employing different collecting techniques, have produced surprisingly rich collections involving many new taxa. Additional field work from Madagascar also provides another rich data set, from which estimates of the current status of biogeographical and systematics are made for the western Indian Ocean. Recent systematic reviews of several opisthobranch genera, namely Hypselodoris, Platydoris, Okenia, Roboastra, Tambja, Nembrotha, Aegires and Trapania provide case-studies of the current state of knowledge of different opsithobranch taxa that can be used to make extrapolations for other lesser known opisthobranch groups. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 17 NUDIBRANCH SAFARI John Greenamyer and Michael D. Miller' '4777 Ladner Street, San Diego, CA 92113 www.slugsite.tierranet.com Nudibranch Safari is a twenty minute underwater video presentation, set to quiet background music, showing nudibranchs and sacoglossans in their natural habitat. It was edited by videographer John Greenamyer and Slug Site webmaster Michael Miller. John filmed the footage in October 2005 while visiting Papua New Guinea and Thailand, areas of enormous Opisthobranch diversity. Many of the species seen in this clip are undescribed! This film shows the animals moving in their natural habitat and captures many behaviors such as mantle flapping, gill vibrating, cerata pulsating as well as feeding and mating. EVIDENCE FOR PREDOMINANCE OF CONSTRUCTIONAL CONSTRAINT IN THREE COMMON FEATURES OF GASTROPOD VELIGER LARVAE Carole S. Hickman Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 caroleh @ socrates.berkeley.edu The traditional explanation of organismal form and structure under the paradigm of modern evolutionary theory is selection for optimal performance. However, adaptation is not the only factor contributing to the features of living and fossil organisms. Although the gastropod veliger larva is a structurally complex life stage that must function efficiently in the plankton, it has puzzling features that suggest the operation of other constraints. A predominance of constructional constraint is hypothesized to explain three such features: (1) sinusigeral shell apertures, (2) velar lobe asymmetries, and (3) reticulate mesh works of aragonite shell sculpture. The adaptive explanation of the sinusigeral aperture is that the beak evolved to protect the head of the veliger and that the notches evolved to accommodate the velar lobes. An alternative hypothesis is that shell secretion is retarded by the continuously- deployed velar lobes and proceeds unimpeded in the region between the lobes to produce a beak. Thus the beak and notches are a consequence of progradation along a margin of constraint and permission. Likewise, asymmetry of right and left velar lobes is the consequence of a growth imperative to achieve hydrodynamic balance for a shell and body mass that are displaced asymmetrically beneath the velum. Reticulate aragonitic mesh works that recur on the surfaces of larval shells have never been observed on adult shells and are inconsistent with the programs by which shell features are modeled in classical theoretical morphology. A hypothesis of weak biological control of shell mineralization during early ontogeny is supported by close similarity of agragonitic mesh works on larval shells and self-assembled mesh works produced experimentally in biliquid foams by materials chemists. Bioinorganic materials chemistry offers a foundation for a new understanding of the molluscan shell as a balance between what is induced and what is controlled by the organism. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 18 Cadlina AND THE CHROMODORIDS Rebecca F. Johnson California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118 rjohnson@calacademy.org In my work, I use morphological and molecular tools to untangle relationships within and among the chromodorid nudibranchs. This work has led me to further investigate the relationship between the chromodorids and the rest of the dorid nudibranchs. The chromodorids are the most diverse group (family) of nudibranchs with over 300 described species. Some authors consider species of Cadlina to be chromodorids and others have placed Cadlina in its own family. Species of Cadlina are found in temperate or polar seas and are mostly white, whereas chromodorids are primarily found in tropical of subtropical waters and have an amazing array of colors and patterns. Cadlina and the chromodorids have been traditionally united by the presence of mantle glands. Recent work has highlighted the tenuous nature of our hypotheses on CflJ/ma-chromodorid-dorid relationships and the need for comprehensive investigation into the basal chromodorid problem. I will present my preliminary hypothesis of relationship using mitochondrial DNA and morphological characters. I will also discuss some interesting intra and inter specific biogeographical patterns found within different groups of chromodorids. DIVERSE PATTERNS OF GENE FLOW IN WEST COAST CHITONS WITH SIMILAR DEVELOPMENT R. P. Kelly’ and Douglas J. Eernisse^ ’Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History ^Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse@exchange.fullerton.edu Many studies have contrasted marine species with different developmental types and shown varying gene flow patterns associated with those developmental differences. Here, we report widely variable patterns of gene flow for 28 species of chitons (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) with highly similar development from the eastern Pacific and detail an apparent latitudinal gradient in gene flow across species along the coast. These results have broad implications for marine genetics, decoupling developmental mode from pattern of gene flow and challenging the view that gene flow can be easily inferred with cursory knowledge of a species' biology. Instead, we recognize phylogenetic trends in population connectivity that may be useful in predicting species level patterns. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 19 NATIVE SNAILS SEMI-ISOLATED FROM OTHER SNAIL POPULATIONS IN SMALL CENTRAL CALIFORNIA BRACKISH MARSHES Christopher L. Kitting and Cheryl L. Davis Department of Biological Sciences and Shore Laboratory, California State University, Hayward, CA 94542 chris.kitting@csueastbay.edu California estuarine marshes experience wide salinity fluctuations, seasonally and spatially, from freshwater during winter storms to hypersalinity during dry summer evaporation in marsh pannes. Certain restored and historical marshes yield numerous tiny, ~5-mm-long snails, virtually year round, such as adult hydrobiid snails. Natural dispersal appears limited, as these tiny adults brood young in the mantle cavity. In the laboratory, individuals tolerate wide salinity fluctuations. Non-destructive, standardized close-up photographic mini-quadrats, in the field, assist in comparing abundances of these tiny snails while exposed to view, and active, even during daylight. These animals otherwise are easily overlooked among dense vegetation and soft sediment. In several small, semi-isolated marshes, native hydrobiid snail population densities reach over 50 snails per lOOcm^ Other sites can yield comparable population densities of NON-native snails plus other invertebrates, instead. In outer Elkhorn Slough, near Monterey Bay, a tiny hydrobiid snail, Tryonia imitator, “the California brackish-water snail,” has been a candidate for the endangered species list, and only a few dead snails now are detected at most sites previously reported with these snails, live. Introduced Asian mud snails, Batillaria attramentaria , instead are common among those sites, now. We found that two semi-isolated marsh areas with few if any Batillaria averaged over 15 active T. imitator per lOOcm^ in December, 2005. Semi-isolated habitat restoration or conservation areas, even if small, may be particularly valuable in preserving or restoring vulnerable, often native species such as tiny hydrobiid snails. Especially if weeding of invasive animals (and possibly plants) is exercised during intensive monitoring, such semi-isolated native populations could remain relatively isolated from typical populations of invasive species. Some small, naturally variable, possibly tended, patches of native habitats might be the most practical way to avoid loss of entire, unusual native populations, otherwise vulnerable to extinction among invasive species. Conus RADULAR CHARACTERS IN TAXONOMY AND PHYTOGENY: CONGRUENCE WITH MOLECULAR GENETICS? Alan J. Kohn* and Chris Meyer^ 'Professor Emeritus, University of Washington ^Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 163, Washington, DC 20013 meyerc@si.edu Conus radular teeth are independently operating structures that are sufficiently complex to provide a number of discrete and quantitative characters useful in evaluating the range of intraspecific variation and interspecific differences among closely related species. These include size, shape, number and configuration of barbs and blades, and presence or absence of a waist, spur, cusp, and serrated edges. In a 1999 study, Nishi and Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 20 Kohn showed that nine quantitative characters were sufficient, either singly or in combination, to distinguish a set of 1 1 molluscivorous Conus species, concluded to be distinct but closely related on the basis of shell chai'acters, from one another. Species- level molecular phylogeny suggests that all extant molluscivorous Conus species arose from a single common ancestor. Phylogenetic analysis of radular tooth characters in this clade also indicates a high degree of congruence with the molecular phylogeny. We then posed the question, do radular tooth characters in two other Conus species groups lead to a taxonomy that is consistent with that derived from shell characters and a phylogeny consistent with that based on molecular genetics. In one group, that of piscivorous species, molecular genetic evidence suggests multiple origins within the genus. Preliminary analysis indicates consistency with taxonomy based on shell characters but a lower degree of congruence with molecular phylogeny than in the molluscivorous group. The other group, vermivorous species of the Western Atlantic region, is being analyzed and will be reported on at the meeting but results are not yet available. CARIBBEAN SACOGLOSSANS: CRYPTIC GENETIC DIVERGENCE AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY Patrick J. Krug, Ryan A. Ellingson and E. Hidalgo Department of Biological Science, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032 Sacoglossan opisthobranchs show remarkable flexibility in development; larval type can vary between closely related species and even within a species. Development mode can be a valuable taxonomic character; however, as poecilogony occurs in sacoglossans, larval traits may be unreliable for species identification without supporting molecular data. The Caribbean Costasiella ocellifera was posited by Clark to represent a cryptic species complex, because distinct populations from the Florida Keys exhibited benthic or planktotrophic development. Molecular and developmental data from eight Caribbean sites show instead that C. ocellifera is a single poecilogonous species. Lower Keys (benthic) haplotypes formed a distinct clade nested within the Upper Keys (planktotrophic), with a shallow genetic divide suggesting recent colonization of the Lower Keys by a planktotrophic ancestor. Surprisingly, a deep phylogeographic break distinguished Florida specimens from the rest of the Caribbean, suggesting a one million year separation. A single Bahamanian haplotype in Florida indicated present-day larval exchange, despite the historical block to migration between regions. In the main Caribbean clade, both development modes were present in several populations, and individuals differing in development shared haplotypes. Costasiella ocellifera is therefore the third poecilogonous sacoglossan, with an intraspecific divide delineated by geography rather than development mode. A different pattern was evident for Elysia spp. with reduced dispersal potential. Elysia tuca (short-lived larvae) and E. crispata (no dispersing larvae) showed evidence of widespread population crashes followed by recolonization out of Panama, which harbored extensive ancestral diversity. In E. crispata, private ancestral haplotypes were also recovered from most sites that were 6-8% divergent. Floridian specimens of E. crispata were recently described as a new species based on local adaptation and genetic distance, but our data suggest each island cluster may harbor a derived lineage, making descriptions premature until a full phylogeographic analysis can be completed. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 21 HEMOCYANIN MEETS CHITONS: PHYTOGENY OF POLYPLACOPHORANS REVISITED BY HEMOCYANIN GENES Bernhard Lieb' , Klaus Streit\ R.P. Kelly^ and D. J. Eernisse^ ^Johannes Gutenberg University, Institute of Zoology, Miillerweg 6, D 55128, Mainz, Germany ^American Museum of Natural History ^Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse @ exchange . fullerton.edu Molluscan hemocyanins are ancient respiratory proteins estimated to have evolved -700-800 MYA. The native molecules are formed from 10, 20 or more identical subunits of which each possesses a molecular mass of 350 - 400 kda. The subunits show a repetitive structure of 7 (a-g) to 8 (a-h) functional units. Each domain-coding exon is separated from a paralogous neighboring exon by an intron of variable size. These introns are likely as ancient as the Precambrian duplication events that led to the repeated exons, because all these introns are in phase 1 and are also located at the same positions within the orthologous hemocyanin genes across Mollusca. In contrast to the case of gastropods, bivalves and cephalopods, in which paralogs of the entire hemocyanin gene region can be observed, chitons possess only one type of hemocyanin, and this forms -4,000 kda homodecamers. We assessed the phylogenetic utility of hemocyanin for selected chitons that were also sequenced for standard mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (18S) markers. Particular coding regions were compared across diverse chitons, and results were consistent with expectations for high-level relationships based on recent morphological and molecular studies. In particular, Chitonida was robustly subdivided into two clades, Acanthochitonina and Chitonina, although these results are preliminary due to still limited taxonomic sampling. We also analyzed 30+ individuals of Lepidozona for a 670+ bp region comprised of an intron along with portions of each flanking functional unit, f and g, where our primer regions were located. This intron region was not variable enough in Lepidozona to reveal phylogeographic structure within species but was very effective in resolving species relationships within Lepidozona, including support for previously unrecognized species. Our goal is to employ sequences from this and the other molecular markers in a combined phylogenetic analysis of Lepidozona. OPISTHOBRANCH MOLLUSCA OF RUSSIA: THE NEGLECTED DIVERSITY OF COLD WATERS A.V. Martynov Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, Bolshaya Nikitskaya Str. 6, 125009, Moscow, Russia marty no V @ zmmu .msu.ru Traditionally in Russia little attention was devoted to the study of opisthobranch molluscs. This neglect is undeserved, since the first known nudibranch mollusc from Russian seas - Limax tetraquetra was described by the St. Petersburg’s scientist Peter Simon Pallas almost in Linnean times, in 1788. Recently, several scientists, among them Yuri Minichev and especially, the prolific worker Irina Roginskaya have contributed to the knowledge of Russian opisthobranchs. Despite certain progress, information on Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 22 Russian opisthobranchs is still scanty. Starting in 1987, an integrated taxonomic study of opisthobranch molluscs from almost all Russian seas (from the Barents Sea to the Japan Sea, including the Black Sea) has been ongoing. The presence of most of the opisthobranch families in the Russian fauna has been discovered. The seas of Russia are characterized by mean summer surface temperatures below 10° C. Subtropical waters influence only two, the Japan and the Black Seas. Surface winter temperatures in the Russian part of the Japan Sea are below the freezing point and only few species from the rich Japanese fauna can adapt under these conditions. There are several pairs of cryptic species, one member of which lives in the northern part of the Japan Sea, while the other preferentially inhabits the southern part. Some of these pairs are: Japonacteon sp. - J. nipponensis (Yamakawa, 1911), Leostyletus pseudomisakiensis Martynov, 1998 -L. misakiensis (Baba, 1960), Trinchesia sp. - T. papillae (Baba, 1961), presumably speciation was based on differences in comfortable temperatures. Despite the general cold-water appearance of the fauna of Russian seas, 155 species of opisthobranchs are currently known. At least about 12 additional species await description, for instance from the gtn&r a. Archidoris, Adalaria, Cerberilla, and others. Another feature of the Russian opisthobranch fauna is the presence of numerous archaic taxa from different families. Finally, there is confusion regarding the name Limax tetraquetra Pallas, 1788. According to present study, Tritonia diomedea Bergh, 1894 is a junior subjective synonym of Limax tetraquetra Pallas, 1788, non Bergh, 1879. The oldest valid name for Tochuina tetraquetra sensu Bergh, 1879, non Pallas, 1788 is Tritonia gigantea Bergh, 1904, which is used here in the combination Tochuina gigantea (Bergh, 1904) comb.nov. ARCHAIC TERGIPEDIDAE OF THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC: A NEW GENUS FROM THE BARENTS SEA AND REVISION OF THE GENUS Guyvalvoria VAYSSIERE WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES A.V. Martynov Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, Bolshaya Nikitskaya Str. 6, 125009, Moscow, Russia martynov@zmmu.msu.ru Most species of the family Tergipedidae possess a slender body with simple branches of the digestive gland tending to reduce, sometimes up to single ceras per row. Only few taxa, for instance the type species of the genus Cuthona, C. nana have a relatively broad body and highly branched digestive gland. Most Tergipedidae, with minor exceptions, have the anus in the acleioproctic position, high in the interhepatic space. A notal ridge is not known for tergipedids. The present study examines two tergipedid genera which possess numerous branches of the digestive ducts, an elevated lateral ridge, a posterior anus and other atypical characters for the family Tergipedidae. One of these taxa is a new genus and species from the Murman coast of the Barents Sea (depth 60-300 m). It is characterized by having a wide body, numerous branched rows of the digestive gland ducts and an elevated notal ridge. The radular teeth of the new genus possess unusual clusters of lateral denticles. The other taxon, the Antarctic genus Guyvalvoria Vayssi re, 1906 is revised. Based on new material and the type specimen, the type species of the genus, G.francaisi Vayssi re, 1906 is redescribed. Western Society of Malacoiogists Annual Report 39 23 Two new species of the genus Guyvalvoria are described from the Davis Sea and the sub- Antarctic Kerguelen Island. The Antarctic genus Guyvalvoria and sub-Arctic new genus have some similarities in their external appearance, both have numerous branches of the digestive gland and have a tendency to shift the anus caudally. Morphological peculiarities of the new taxa suggest a new interpretation of the head, which differentiates it from the typical head of other aeolids. Transformation of the digestive gland branching pattern within the family is also explored. Both the new genus and Guyvalvoria Vayssi re, 1906 are considered basal within the Tergipedidae. GENERA OF THE Crepidula-GROVF: REVISED DEFINITIONS BASED ON CHARACTERS OF THE SHELL MUSCLE AND SEPTUM James H. McLean Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007 jmclean@nhm.org The limpet form is known at various levels throughout gastropod evolution. Major groupings within limpet families have traditionally been based on distinctions in shell muscles and muscle scars, which enables placement of fossil species. There are a number of possible combinations of shell muscles among calyptraeid limpets, as was recognized by early authors, who provided a number of generic-level names. K. E. Hoagland (1977) revised the genus Crepidula, but recognized no subgenera. R. Collin (2003, several papers), conducted phylogenetic analysis, but did not define genera based on muscle configurations. Because access to the environment is controlled in limpets by shell muscles, it follows that muscles and muscle scars are basic to function and provide conservative characters important to the classifications of all limpets. Here I outline an alternative classification for the Crepidula-gio\y^ of genera, based on shell muscles and morphology of the septum. Species previously assigned to the broadly defined genus Crepidula have three conditions for shell muscles: 1) one oval muscle on the right side (of either large or small size), 2) two equally sized muscles with a narrow connection between (actually comparable to the horseshoe-shaped muscle of limpets in other families), or 3) lack of shell muscles. Caenogastropods generally have a single columellar muscle, which suggests that the single muscle condition (which applies to Bostrycapulus, Crepipatella, Grandicrepidula, and a new genus) should be basal. Two other two conditions, the two-muscle condition (which applies to Garnotia and Maoricrypta), and the no-muscle condition (which applies to Crepidula, s.s., Verticumbo, and Siphopatella), are separately derived conditions. Collin’s (2003) phylogeny recognizes some of the genera that are apparent to me, but her trees place some species of all three shell-muscle categories within a broadly defined genus Crepidula (which would require intra-generic character state reversals). A further phylogenetic analysis should be performed to test the relationships among genera defined on character sets for the septum and shell muscles. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 24 OPISTHOBRANCH RESEARCH IN THE LAST DECADE Sandra Millen Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4 millen @ zoology .ubc.ca They say, as you get older, things seem to happen faster, although in the case of Opisthobranchs, we are living in an era where a lot is happening, and quickly, so we are blessed with “interesting times.” Some of the major impacts have been, not surprisingly, the result of technology. Ten years ago we had computers, but not the high-speed easy access, which allows us to align DNA and produce huge cladograms. Many of today’s talks will utilize these techniques. The older technology of Scanning Electron Microscopy is being used more than ever, as well as new techniques in Transmission Electron Microscopy, which enable us to study minute anatomical features in detail. The Internet has provided public access to this beautiful group of animals. Beloved by underwater photographers, aided by smaller, faster, usually digital cameras and cheaper scanners, the Internet has provided a number of venues for nudibranch photographers. This in turn has revolutionized our knowledge of ranges, spawn, feeding and behavior. We will be discussing some of the impacts of the Internet on research. Along with the Internet based photography explosion has come a proliferation of Opisthobranch books. Lately, a new trend has developed using streaming video on the Internet and underwater video CD’s, with close -up’s so well resolved, it is better than being there. Our era is one of easy travel and access to colleagues via E-mail. Divers and photographers in far-flung places are assisting researches. Sometimes we even get to go to these places ourselves, sometimes specimens, or even researchers come to us. We are truly a global village fitting together the puzzle pieces to form a global pattern. PRELUVHNARY PHYLOGENY OF AEOLIDIDINA (GASTROPODA: NUDIBRANCHIA) BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND THE MITOCHONDRIAL 16s rRNA AND COI GENES Sandra Millen Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4 One of four large infraorders of nudibranchs, aeolids are speciose due in part to synonymy and polymorphism. Traditional taxonomy involving morphological characters partially caused this problem due to the subjectivity of characters interpreted by different researchers. Recently, molecular genetics has provided an added tool in taxonomy, through phylogenetic analysis. Valles’ (2002) work on Kaloplocamus (Doridina: Polyceridae) and Plocamopherus (Doridina: Polyceridae) was the first to combine the subfields for nudibranchs and is being used as the model for deriving a taxonomic treatment for aeolids. Currently, only four reviews (Rudman, 1980, 1982; Gosliner & Kuzirian, 1990; Gosliner & Willan, 1991) have been conducted on the aeolids and no family level molecular phylogeny exists. Morphological characters and the large subunit (LSU) fragment of the mitochondrial 16s ribosomal RNA, approximately 1400 bp long in Western Society of Malacoiogists Annual Report 39 25 nudibranchs (Valles, 2002), are being utilized for reconstruction of the aeolid phylogeny. The cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene is brought into play as an additional molecular marker. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic relationships are being determined through PAUP* (Swofford, 2000) using maximum parsimony, and branch support is estimated by Bremer analysis (Bremer, 1994). Molecular relationships are being established with maximum likelihood as implemented in Mr. Bayes (Heulsenbeck & Ronquist, 2001). Bootstrap (Felsenstein, 1985) is applied to determine support for nodes on the trees. Preliminary molecular findings indicate some monophyly on the genus level but largely remain unresolved until more data (morphological and molecular) are obtained. INTERNET BRANCHOLOGY: WHERE HAVE WE BEEN AND WHERE ARE WE HEADING? Michael D. Miller Webmaster, The Slug Site 4777 Ladner St., San Diego, CA 92113 www.slugsite.tierranet.com The internet has changed our knowledge of Opisthobranchs enormously. Not only can we call up images to help in identification, a number of sites give pertinent information of key characteristics, feeding, spawn and ranges. As the Webmaster of the Slug Site, one of the earliest Opisthobranch sites, established for public access in 1995 and continuing to the present, I have been acutely aware of some of the issues raised by global internet access. A discussion will center on the impact, pros and cons, of the Internet on the study of Opisthobranchs. How has it made researchers lives easier and also what problems have arisen? Hopefully, the presentation will transcend the obvious and provoke serious thought from the audience. HABITAT VARIATION PREDICTS INTRASPECIFIC SHELL SHAPE VARIATION IN GALAPAGOS BULIMULID LAND SNAILS Christine E. Parent Department of Biology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6 Bulimulid land snails of Galapagos form the most species-rich radiation on this archipelago, and they exhibit striking inter- and intra-specific variation in morphological and ecological traits. Previous work suggests that shell shape variation among species in this group is consistent with adaptation to ecological variation throughout their range. In this study I aim to understand the role of ecology in driving morphological variation within species in this group of land snails. Although most bulimulid species on Galapagos have distribution ranges restricted to one vegetation zone, Bulimulus reibischi is a species whose distribution overlaps the arid and transition vegetation zones. I specifically test for a relationship between habitat differences and morphological differences among populations distributed across the whole range of this species, controlling for historical contingency. I use geometric morphometries methods to Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 26 quantify shell shape differences among populations of B. reibisclii, and I find that this single species of Bulimulus has populations varying in morphological traits. Further, I find that this morphological variation is predicted by the habitat characteristics where they are found, rather than the geographical distance between populations. This finding is consistent with the idea that selection for different ecological niches was involved in causing speciation in bulimulid snails in the past. UPDATING KNOWLEDGE OF LAND SNAIL DISTRIBUTIONS IN NEW YORK STATE Timothy A. Pearce and K. P. Hotopp Appalachian Conservation Biology and Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 PearceT@CarnegieMuseum.org Literature reports 121 species of land snails from New York State but knowledge of their geographic distributions remains poor. Of the 60 counties in New York, 2/3 report <20 land snail species, while well-collected counties report >60 species. Better distribution information would address where scarce species live. This project, funded by New York State Biodiversity Research Institute, updates distribution knowledge of New York land snails by two methods: examining existing specimens in 8 regional museums, and new field surveys. Field surveys targeted 12 sites (3-4 localities each) across New York State having high quality talus communities. Talus might be refuges for uncommon or unusual snail species. One hundred forty-three species of New York land snail species are recognized from literature, 3800 museum records, and 1540 new field survey records. We found 22 species from museums and fieldwork not previously reported in literature, and literature reported 13 species we did not find. 22 species (15%) are non-native species while the remaining 121 species are native. Snail diversity at the 46 localities (800 m^each) ranged from 5-26 species and abundance (in 1/8 m“ litter samples) from zero to 7,152 snails per m". Most species show statewide distributions, although many show scattered and patchy distributions, suggesting habitat restriction or under-collecting. A few species have regional affinities, such as Anguispira fergusoni on the Atlantic coast, and Vitrina angelicae inland, but distributions of other infrequently reported species remain poorly known. The Uion Gorge in Herkimer County showed astonishingly high land snail diversity, with some species reported from zero or few other places in the state. Additional species are likely to occur in New York State. For example, literature- reported Webbhelix multilineata and Zoogenetes harpa were not present in museum specimens or field collections, and resolving taxonomic issues will likely result in recognizing more species. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 27 Echinochiton dufoei (POLYPLACOPHORA): NEW RECONSTRUCTION John Pojeta, Jr\ and Jimmy Dufoe^ ^United States Geological Survey and Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 pojetaj@si.edu ^Milwaukee Public Museum 417 Grove St., Rockton, IL 61072 When first described (Pojeta, et al., 2003) the anterior end of Echinochiton dufoei was poorly known; the one complete specimen was poorly preserved. Two new specimens fill in this gap. E. dufoei is from the Grand Detour Formation (Middle Ordovician) of southern Wisconsin. One specimen preserves all eight valves. On the right and anterior sides the hollow spines of five valves are preserved. This specimen shows that the head valve was rounded anteriorly and that it had four spines, two pointing laterally and two pointing anteriorly. The second specimen preserves most of the anterior four valves parallel to bedding. Hollow spines are preserved anteriorly and on both lateral sides. Although the spines of the anteriorly rounded head valve are skewed counterclockwise, they show the same arrangement as the specimen noted above. Neither of the specimens shows the presence of the dorsally projecting scutes lateral to the head valve such as occur between the valves and spines of the other seven valves. E. dufoei differs from the presumed primitive Silurian mollusk Acaenoplax (Sutton, et al., 2001). Acaenoplax is vermiform, has seven dorsal valves, one ventral valve, and tufts of lateral and dorsal spines. Echinochiton dufoei was allied to multiplacophoran mollusks such as Polysacos (Vendrasco, et al., 2004) which has a head and tail valve connected by three rows of intermediate valves, all are surrounded by hollow spines. The central valves and lateral scutes of Echinochiton dufoei are homologized with the three rows of intermediate plates of Polysacos. Pojeta, John, Jr., Douglas E. Eernisse, Richard d. Hoare and M. D. Henderson. 2003. Echinochiton dufoei: A new spiny Ordovician chiton. Journal of Paleontology 77 (4): 646-654. Sutton, Mark D., Derke E. G. Briggs, David J. Siveter and Derek J. Siveter. 2001. An exceptionally preserved vermiform mollusc from the Silurian of England. Nature 410 (6827); 461-463. Vendrasco, Michael J., Troy E. Wood and Bruce Runnegar. 2004. Articulated Paleozoic fossil with 17 plates greatly expands disparity of early chitons. Nature 429 (6989): 288-291. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 28 SAMPLING BIAS AND THE PERCEIVED QUALITY OF THE FOSSIL RECORD OF CHITONS (MOLLUSCA, POLYPLACOPHORA)! CHANGING A PARADIGM Stephaney S. Puchalski\ C. Johnson^ and Douglas J. Eernisse^ ‘Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, 1001 E. 10* St., Room GY 505, Bloomington, IN 47405 "Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse @ exchange.fullerton.edu Modern chitons occur worldwide in all oceans and represent critical components of modern ecosystems. Were chitons similarly important in past environments? The answer is unknown. The paradigm that chitons (Polyplacophora, Mollusca) are a 'minor' molluscan class has caused chitons to be excluded from taphonomic and evolutionary studies, despite a record that spans the Lower Cambrian to the present. Paleontologists tend to collect and study readily-available, well-preserved and abundant fossil material. Chiton fossils typically are rare, poorly preserved, and limited in numbers. The man- made sampling bias has negatively affected the perceived quality of the entire chiton fossil record. As part of an ongoing effort to understand the true representation of chitons in the fossil record, a database of fossil chitons has been compiled and analyzed. Preliminary results indicate that the chiton fossil record had not been fully documented in previous investigations, and fossil chitons are more common through their geologic history than previously recorded. The prior record reportedly consisted of about 358 species. The current database contains a total of over 1890 Phanerozoic occurrences in a fossil record comprised of 95 recent species, over 480 fossil species and 75 indeterminate taxa reported in the literature. Further analysis of the database will address taphonomic and evolutionary questions, such as whether the chiton fossil record is an accurate representation of the natural history, environment(s) inhabited, and evolution of the group. SEM OBSERVATIONS OF THE SIPHONS OF WOOD BORING CLAMS OF Xylophaga (MYOIDEA: PHOLADIDAE) A. J. Reft‘ and Janet R. Voight^ ‘Ohio State University "The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, EL 60605 Larval deep-sea wood-boring clams settle on seafloor substrate, usually wood, undergo metamorphosis and begin to bore into the substrate. The clams spend their lives inside their burrow, sometimes with their siphons extending freely. SEM observations of siphons of three new species of Xylophaga, two collected from artificial deployments of wood from 1550 and 3232 m depth, and one from museum collections, reveal diverse structures that are apparently sensory in nature. The excurrent siphon of Xylophaga sp, F has 5 to 8 large (up to 430 Dm) cirri with terminal pits from which cilia emerge. The incurrent siphon of this species has both an inner and outer ring of cirri. The inner cirri have a scaly surface with cilia emerging from between these scales. In contrast, the smooth outer cirri lack cilia. The siphonal openings of X sp. S and X. sp. lack cirri. In X. sp. S, minute papillae are scattered on Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 29 the distal incurrent siphon and form a line flanking the groove just distal to the excurrent opening. The papillae have concentric folds that suggest they may expand and contract and terminal openings from which cilia project. The skin of distal incurrent siphon of X. sp. B has small (10-14 pm diameter) round structures that barely project above the epidermis. From the terminal openings of these structures emerge a tuft of cilia. Central flagella, possibly indicative of choanocytes, are absent from all cilia-bearing structures. Each of the three species of clams considered here has an incomplete siphon that is a comparatively short excurrent siphon. Although their function is unclear, the presence of these morphologically diverse structures, that likely have a sensory function, suggests that life inside bored wood is more stimulating that often assumed. WHO SAYS IT’S NOT EASY TO GET AROUND IN LA: PALOS VERDES PENINSULA IS AN INEFFECTIVE GENETIC BARRIER FOR CHITONS AND LIMPETS A. Rodriguez\ R.P. Kelly^, D.J. Eernisse^ ' California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032 ^Columbia University and American Museum of Natural History ^Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse@exchange.fullerton.edu Point Conception has long been recognized as a major biogeographic break that demarcates the boundary between the Oregonian and Californian faunal provinces. The observed changes in community structure are believed to be a result of changes in environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity, and directional current flow. An abundance of species range termini occur near Point Conception however, many species have wide ranges that span across it. Furthermore, intraspecific phylogeographic breaks for these ubiquitous species have not been found to be concordant with Point Conception. Recent authors have found patterns of genetic separation further south near Los Angeles, California, suggesting that the area around the Palos Verdes Peninsula might represent a more significant dispersal barrier. We have tested this specific hypothesis by looking for congruent patterns of phylogeographic breaks for multiple chiton and limpet species common to southern California. All species have similar ecology and produce lecithotrophic larvae with a relatively brief pelagic dispersal period. Specimens have been collected from populations on either side of the Palos Verdes peninsula, and DNA from the mitochondrial gene regions 1 6S and cox-I have been sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data has revealed no genetic structure throughout the entire range sampled for all species. Population genetic analysis revealed that most species exhibit population structure however, the observed structure does not correspond cleanly with this putative genetic barrier. Thus, the Palos Verdes peninsula does not appear to be an effective barrier to gene flow for chitons and limpets. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 30 PHYSIOLOGICAL TOLERANCE AND RANGE LIMITS OF THE CONGENERIC SACOGLOSSANS Alderia modesta AND A. willowi V. A. Rodriguez and P. J. Krug Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032 Establishing pre- and post-settlement mechanisms that set range limits should permit prediction of how species will respond to climate change. The cosmopolitan sea slug Alderia modesta has a southern range limit of San Francisco Bay, which lies just inside the northern limit of its sibling species A. willowi. Over three years San Francisco Bay was seasonally dominated by the southern species A. willowi from July to January, whereas only the northern species A. modesta occurred from February to June. These transitions coincided with seasonal change in salinity, suggesting that abiotic factors may favour each species at a different time of year, and potentially set their range limits. We tested the effects of salinity and temperature on larvae and adults of both species, to assess (a) how Alderia spp. differ in physiological tolerance, (b) if reproduction is suppressed at low salinities, and (c) if pre- or post-settlement mortality explains demographic shifts in San Francisco Bay. Adult A. modesta were efficient osmoregulators, surviving 1 week at 2 ppt, whereas adult A. willowi suffered 20% mortality at 8 ppt and 80% mortality at 2 ppt. Reproduction was completely suppressed at 2 ppt in A. willowi, but not in A. modesta. Larvae of A. willowi survived >12 hr at 10 ppt, but experienced complete mortality below 6 ppt. Comparative data for larvae of the northern species, and effects of temperature on larval growth and survival, will be presented. Understanding how Alderia spp. respond to changing environmental conditions may indicate how global warming will shift ranges for these and other estuarine taxa. Historical records suggest A. modesta may already have experienced a northward shift over the past 50 years. PALEONTOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE ORIGIN OF VALVES IN POLYPLACOPHORAN MOLLUSCS Bruce Runnegar^ and Michael J. Vendrasco^’ " ^Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics and Molecular Biology Institute, 595 Young Drive East, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 “Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 mvendrasco@fullerton.edu A recent infusion of new paleontological data has stimulated studies of the early diversification of the Mollusca and has re-focused attention on relationships among the non-conchiferan molluscan classes. These new data come from the discovery (in deposits of Ediacaran, Cambrian, Ordovician, and Devonian age) of complete animals of Odontogriphus Halkieria, Kimberella, Echinochiton, Acaenoplax, and Polysacos (see Literature Cited; genera placed in order of alphabetical references), rather than disarticulated calcareous valves or sclerites. They illustrate the fact that the morphological disparity of Paleozoic polyplacophoran mollusks was significantly greater than is found in the crown group, and they raise new questions about relationship among the extant crown groups “Aplacophora,” Polyplacophora, and Conchifera. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 31 We know from Odontogriphus, and its probable Ediacaran forerunner, Kimberella, that the basic molluscan architecture was established prior to the production of a mineralized dorsal exoskeleton. There is good evidence from Cambrian fossils for the derivation of the outer layer of polyplacophoran valves (tegmentum) from the fusion of tissue-filled aragonitic sclerites like those found in Halkieria. Thus the sensory esthetes of modern chitons, which penetrate the tegmentum by bypassing the inner shell layers, are homologous to the tissues that secreted the sclerites before they fused to form valves. A similar function is envisaged for the spines of Aceonoplax, which must have been extruded as the animals grew. In contrast, the shells of conchiferans were a separate evolutionary innovation, as concluded by a number of previous authors. If Bengtson’s “coeloscleritophora” is indeed a monophyletic group, then chancelloriids illustrate how individual sclerites may be amalgamated into larger skeletal units. Caron, Jean-Bernard, Amelie Scheltema, Cristoffer Schander and David Rudkin. 2006. A soft-bodied mollusc with radula from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. Nature 442 (7099): 159-163. Conway-Morris, S. and S. Peel. 1990. Articulated halkieriids from the Lower Cambrian of north Greenland. Nature 345 (6278): 802-805. Fedonkin, Mikhail A. And Benjamin M. Waggoner. 1997. The Late Precambrian fossil Kimberella is a mollusc-like bilaterian organism. Nature 388 (6645): 868-871. Pojeta, John, Jr., Douglas J. Eernisse, Richard D. Hoare and M. D. Henderson. 2003. Echinochiton dufoei: A new spiny Ordovician chiton. Journal of Paleontology 77 (4): 646-654. Sutton, Mark D., Derek E. G. Briggs, David J. Siveter and Derek J. Siveter. 2001. An exceptionally preserved vermiform mollusc from the Silurian of England. Nature 410 (6827): 461-463. Vendrasco, Michael J., Troy E. Wood and Bruce Runnegar. 2004. Articulated Paleozoic fossil with 17 shell plates greatly expands disparity of early chitons. Nature 429 (6989): 288-291. AGRICULTURAL INTERNET MONITORING SYSTEM (AIMS) LAUNCH AND RESULTS OF MOLLUSK HITS J. Smith and R. English United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine Many examples of USDA-regulated organisms may be found being sold on the internet, and mollusks are included among them. The agricultural internet monitoring system (AIMS) is a cooperative effort between the Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Center for Integrated Pest Management of North Carolina State University. AIMS is a secure semi- automatic intranet-based application that has been designed to webcrawl the world wide web and search for items of agricultural interest entering the United States. It evaluates sites for their risk and indexes the information contained there, automatically generates information letters to potential violators of USDA regulations, and archives all activities associated with the search of that URL. AIMS was launched in January 2006 and has returned nearly 12,000 URLs of interest. More than 3,000 of these were mollusk-related Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 32 sites, of which 49 were found to be potentially in violation of USDA regulations. The majority of potential violators offered Achatina fulica, Pomacea canaliculata and other Pomacea spp., escargot snails, or snails for classroom use. The first two are prohibited and the latter two have restraints placed upon which species are permitted to enter the U. S. alive. Based on the data returned in its first six months of use, AIMS appears to be a valuable tool to help protect U. S. agriculture and the environment. TWO NEW SPECIES OF Marionia (MOLLUSCA: NUDIBRANCHIA) FROM THE INDO PACIFIC REGION Vic Smith and Terrence M. Gosliner California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118 tgosliner@calacademy.org Collections in the Philippines during 1992, 1994, and 1995, along with specimens from Indonesia collected during 1998, provide the basis for the description of two new species of tritoniid nudibranchs. When the photographs of the animals were first examined, it was thought they might represent color variations of the same species, but subtle differences prompted close examination of internal anatomy. The results showed two distinct species. Marionia sp. "a" and Marionia sp. "b" are shown to be different from all other described tritoniid nudibranchs, and are described herein. Marionia sp."a" is shown to feed on octocorais in the family Ellisellidae. Both taxa exhibit a bi-lobed bursa copulatrix, which may provide a new character for future phylogenetic analysis. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis of the family Tritoniidae is presented, and the relationships within the family are discussed. DEEP WATER CHITONS KNOWN FROM BENTHIC MONITORING PROGRAMS IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIGHT Timothy D. Stebbins^ and Douglas J. Eernisse^ 'city of San Diego Marine Biology Laboratory, Metropolitan Waste Department, 2392 Kincaid Road, San Diego, CA 92101 tstebbins @ sandiego.gov ^Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse@exchange.fulieiton.edu More than 30 species of chitons may occur in deep waters (>30 m) of the Southern California Bight (SCB), although little is known about their distribution or ecology. A total of 15 described species representing 8 genera and 4 families is reported here for the region, plus 2 possible new species. These chitons were collected by long- term benthic monitoring programs operated by the City of San Diego, City of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, or as part of larger multi-agency regional monitoring projects of the entire SCB. Most samples are from depths between 30-305 m, although records are included for a few species from shallower water (9-27 m). The Lepidopleurida is represented by the Leptochitonidae (3 species, 2 genera), while the Chitonida is represented by 3 families, including Ischnochitonidae (5 species, 1 genus), Mopaliidae (6 species, 4 genera), and Callistoplacidae (1 species). The lepidopleurids Leptochiton rugatus and Hanleyella oldroydi are 2 of the most common Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 33 chitons, accounting for -40% of all SCB specimens. A second species of Leptochiton, L. nexus, is also reported, while a third possibly new species is known from a single specimen. Lepidozona (Ischnochitonidae) is the most diverse genus, represented here by 5 species: L. interstincta, L. mertensii, L. retiporosa, L. scabricostata and L. scrobiculata. Of these, L. retiporosa and L. scrobiculata are most common, accounting for -31% of chitons examined. A sixth possibly new species of Lepdiozona is known from a single animal. The Mopaliidae is represented by the following genera and species: Dendrochiton gothicus, D. thamnoporus, Mopalia lowei, M. phorminx, Placiphorella mirabilis, and Tonicella venusta. The Callistoplacidae is represented by Callistochiton palmulatus. Information is presented on the distribution, abundance, size, and co- occurrence of the above SCB chitons. Finally, dubious records for another 2 previously reported species are discussed. PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GENUS Dendronotus (GASTROPODA: NUDIBRANCHIA)WITH INSIGHT INTO WORLD-WIDE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS Carla Stout Department of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768 Nudibranchs are marine invertebrates commonly referred to as sea slugs. They are classified in the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropods, subclass Opisthobranchia, order Nudibranchia. Species of the genus Dendronotus in the family Dendronotidae are found in northern temperate waters. Two species are found in the Atlantic Ocean (one on hydrothemal vents), eight are found along the Pacific coast of North America, and one is found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Nudibranchs in the genus Dendronotus have traditionally been grouped together based mostly on their external morphology. No studies have been conducted to establish whether they are truly a monophyletic group. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of species of the group Dendronotus and their position within the family Dendronotidae based not only on external features but also on the morphology of their radula and jaws, the thorough examination of their reproductive structures, and DNAsequence data. The expected phylogenetic hypothesis will allow us to better understand the evolution of the group and test additional hypotheses on the origin and causes of the high diversity of species of Dendronotus. The hypothesis that will be addressed is that all or many Pacific species of Dendronotus species are monophyletic and represent a species radiation. Demonstrating monophyly of a large Pacific clade is a prerequisite for support of a Pacific radiation hypothesis. Statistical analysis of the phylogenetic trees will then be conducted to examine the tree stability and attempt to find signatures of mass extinction events that would explain the absence of Dendronotus from large geographic areas. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 34 HEMOCYANIN GENES: HOW DID THEY EVOLVE? Klaus Streit and Bernhard Lieb Johannes Gutenberg University, Institute of Zoology, Miillerweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany Hemocyanins are the extracellular copper-containing respiratory proteins of many mollusks. They circulate freely within the hemolymph and cause the bluish color of the oxygenated molluscan blood. Depending on the species, they possess a molecular mass of 3,500 - 4,000 kda but also can form higher aggregates of >8,000 kda. Their early origin probably dates back to the Precambrian when they evolved by repeated exon duplications of a tyrosinase-related copper-containing protein leading to the recent, repetitively arranged subunits of 350 - 400 kda. The different domains of these subunits are called functional units and are termed FU-a, -b, -c, -d, -e, -f, -g and -h. These evolutionary exon duplications probably were facilitated by very old introns which bordered one ancient, continuous exon. These introns separating each recent functional unit exon are still present and called linker introns. Such principal structure probably gave rise to the known barrel-like quarternary structure of molluscan hemocyanins and, mostly by causing low osmotic pressures due to the protein’s enormous size, provided the basis for an extracellular respiratory protein. However, some ‘unusual’ hemocyanins can also be observed: some have internal FU-rearrangements (S. ojficinalis), in others ‘essential’ glycosylation sites were deleted {N. nucleus), or in some even their ability to form higher aggregates was lost (Polyplacophora). We assume that this was also facilitated by a few (y) more recent intron insertions which can be observed in different hemocyanin-genes. However, evolution never stops and the yet most impressive intron gain can be observed within th&Aplysia califomica hemocyanin gene: a total number of 53 introns could be detected which probably derived by internal gene conversion and also might give rise to ‘new’ types of hemocyanin. THE MOLLUSKS: A GUIDE TO THEIR STUDY, COLLECTION, AND PRESERVATION-A NEW PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY Charles F Sturm’, Timothy A. Pearce’ and Angel Valdes” ’Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 “Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Department of Biological Sciences, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Avenue, Pomona, CA 91768 aavaldes@csupomona.edu The proceedings of the 1941 meeting of the American Malacological Society, held in Rockland and Thomaston, Maine, was a series of articles on how to collect, clean, and preserve mollusks. This work was reissued in 1955, 1966, and 1974. The 1974 edition. How to Study and Collect Shells, contained 108 pages and two illustrations. A workshop on issues of interest to collectors of mollusks was held during the 1999 AMS meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While the session was directed to the non-professional malacologist, many professionals attended this workshop. Some of the topics discussed included archival and curatorial methods, computer databases, collecting Western Society of Malaeologists Annual Report 39 35 unionoids, amateur-professional cooperation, and the molluscan literature. Publication of these proceedings as an update of How to Study and Collect Shells was approved at the AMS meeting in San Francisco (2000). This volume, The Mollusks: A Guide to Their Study, Collection, and Preservation, edited by Charles F. Sturm, Timothy A. Pearce, and Angel Valdes, is the result. This volume differs from its predecessors. It is more substantive with 445 pages, 101 illustrations, and 31 chapters written by 29 contributors. This volume includes topics not found in earlier editions, such as chapters on the Aplacophora, Monoplacophora, Cephalopoda, and Scaphopoda. Chapters cover all groups of freshwater, terrestrial, and marine mollusks. The biology and ecology of these organisms is discussed. Film and digital photography, cladistics, how to write a taxonomic paper, a review of the zoological code and issues in molluscan conservation are covered for the first time. There is an extensive listing of taxonomic literature (over 700 references) keyed to biogeographic zones and taxonomic groups. Other topics include chapters covering fossil mollusks and organisms that may be mistaken for marine mollusks. Information on how to obtain this book will be provided. Questions regarding this book can be directed to doc.fossil@gmail.com. MORPHOMETRICS OF Callistochiton elenensis (MOLLUSCA: POLYPLACOPHORA) FROM THE BAHIA DE LA PAZ, B. C. S, MEXICO Anel Ramirez Torres' and Douglas J. Eernisse^ 'Departamento de Biologia Marina, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (IPN), La Paz, B. C. S, Mexico, ^Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 deernisse @ exchange, fullerton . edu Chitons are exclusively marine and are characterized by eight overlapping shell plates called valves, which articulate to form an oval to elongate body outline. Some members of Callistochiton, including C. elenensis, vary dramatically in the shape and extent of rib sculpturing, which we suspect might have adaptive consequences. In particular, larger specimens especially seemed to vary, suggesting that the chitons might first elongate approximately isometrically and then change to grow up and out while more heavily fortifying their valves, or perhaps grow differently from the start depending on their microhabitat. In order to test our observations, we performed landmark-based morphometric analysis of the entire body in dorsal view, and then disarticulated valves, focusing on valve VIII (the tail valve). We collected 76 chitons of a range of sizes between March 2004 and October 2005 from the intertidal the shallow subtidal at the La Concha Resort in La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico. The largest specimens found were relatively high in the intertidal. Most were photographed and analyzed for potential overall body allometry in dorsal view. Then these and some other specimens were disarticulated in a dilute warmed KOH solution, with valves separated by valve number. Images of each valve VIII were then obtained in calibrated ventral, dorsal, and lateral orientation. We report here the preliminary landmark-based results of a morphometric analysis of this valve’s allometry, and suggest some hypotheses that might account for this change in shape. For example, C. elenensis is unusual in rapidly dropping off an overturned rock, rolling into a tight ball. The inflation of terminal valves might protect the otherwise vulnerable junction of the head and tail valves from predators, when it is rolled up. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 36 Alternatively, the higher internal volume might allow the chiton to increase space available for gonads and other soft tissues. SACOGLOSSAN OPISTHOBRANCHS ON NW PACIFIC SHORES: Stiliger berghi BABA 1937 AND Elysia sp. n. FILAMENTOUS RED ALGAE Cynthia D. Trowbridge\ Yoshiaki J. Hirano^ and Yayoi M. Hirano^ ^Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, P.O. Box 1995, Newport OR 97365 sacoglossans@ymail.com “Marine Biosystems Research Center, Chiba University, Uchiura 1, Kamogawa, 299-5502, Japan Delicately branching red algae are increasingly appearing on foreign shores as unintentional introductions, yet the role of marine herbivores that feed selectively on members of Order Cermiales are insufficiently studied around the world. We are studying two sacoglossan opisthobranchs that feed on filamentous red algae: (1) the temporal to boreal Stiliger berghi Baba, 1937, on wave-sheltered shores of Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan and (2) the subtropical to tropical Elysia sp. On shore of Okinawajima preference experiments demonstrated that S. berghi strongly preferred to associate with the alga Dasya when given pair-wise algal choices but readily consumed several algal genera and exhibited no preferences between algal life history phases (diploid tetraspores vs haploid female gametophytes). Elysia sp. is a small sacoglossan that consumed uniseriate and polysiphous red algae on west coast shores of Okinawajima. Given the small size and seasonally abundant populations of red algal feeders, we predict that these sacoglossans and their ecological analogs on other shores may have an unexpectedly important role in consuming and/or fragmenting native or introduced Ceramialean red algae. Furthermore, when such sacoglossans occur in sheltered harbors in close proximity to vectors of introduction, there may be unintentional introductions to domestic or foreign shores. AESTHETE CANAL MORPHOLOGY IN NINE CHITONS REVEALED BY EPOXY CASTS AND A DISCUSSION OF SIMILAR SHELL PORE SYSTEMS IN CAMBRIAN MOLLUSCS Michael J. Vendrasco^' ", Christine Z. Fernandez^ and Bruce Runnegar* ^Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 595 Young Drive East, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 ^ Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834 mvendrasco @ exchange . fullerton . edu ^University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 14601 Madris Avenue, Norwalk, CA 90650 Epoxy casts of the aesthete canal system in valves of nine chiton species (from three families) are highly variable. This variation shows a much stronger correlation with phylogeny than ecology, as members of each family share similar canal systems in spite of differences in life habit and environment. The casts also reveal a greater connectivity in the total aesthete canal system than is widely realized. For example, canals in the apical area connect to those in the slit rays, the ventral area below the jugum, and the Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 37 dorsal surface of the valve. Such epoxy casts can also be used to help interpret natural sediment casts of fossil molluscs and mollusc-like organisms. This allows a better comparison of the shell canal system of chitons with that of previous and current Problematica such as multiplacophorans and hyoliths, so that analogous and homologous features can be identified. In addition, phosphatic internal molds of molluscs from the Early to Middle Cambrian (-540-510 million years ago) are commonly covered with small, bumpy projections which can be interpreted as partly filled pore channels. A survey of these structures in internal molds of the oldest known molluscs suggests that molluscan shells may have been primitively porous, although they lacked the complexity of the canal system of modern chitons. The fossil data seemingly contrast with published observations that modern pore-bearing molluscs differ in their pore systems and in the tissues that fill the pores. This method of making epoxy casts of modern mollusc shells is also being used to assess cases of possible shell microstructure preservation in the Early to Middle Cambrian phosphatic internal molds of molluscs. Many equivocal cases exist, and this epoxy casting method — which mimics the detailed phosphate molding process that occurred to produce the fossils — can be used to help arbitrate in such cases. OBSERVATIONS OF DEEP-SEA OCTOPODID BEHAVIOR FROM UNDERSEA VEHICLES Janet R. Voight The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 Three of the four octopodid subfamilies recognized by Voss in 1988 occur below the photic zone, the depth to which sunlight penetrates. Despite high octopodid diversity in the deep sea, the logistics of working in the habitat have limited opportunities to both sample and observe these octopuses in situ. Over the last decade, my field program has used NSF, NOAA, NSERC-funded ship and submersible time to observe octopuses opportunistically. Most often observed were octopuses near hydrothermal vents at depths in excess of 2000 m because most submersible time is dedicated to studies of these geologically active habitats. Although the lights and the noise created by submersible operations inarguably result in unique sea floor conditions that may alter the animals’ behavior, without them, sea floor observations would be impossible. Regardless of these potential artifacts, the behavior of octopuses of the genera Benthoctopus, Graneledone and Vulcanoctopus appeared to be within the range of what could be expected. Observations indicate that members of these genera differ in activity levels, wariness and, between the first two, egg-brooding behavior. Octopuses of Graneledone are typically larger, more massive, slower-moving and were more often seen foraging during ambulation than were those of the other genera. Often, they could be readily captured with the manipulator arm after a brief period of observation. The higher activity level and propensity to jet shown by individuals of Benthoctopus, which cannot be identified to species from images, meant that they better avoided capture and could be only briefly observed. Octopuses of Vulcanoctopus remain little known, despite the considerable submersible time spent in their habitat. Chemoreception and tactile input are likely key ways in which deep-sea octopodids locate prey. As predicted by Voss, the prey of these deep-sea octopuses may be small and require minimal preparation by the octopus prior to ingestion. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 38 THE CASE OF THE MYSTERY LIMPET - IS Ferrissiafragilis A CRYPTIC INVADER OF EUROPEAN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS? Andrea Walther Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan An enigmatic freshwater limpet (Ancylidae: Basommatophora) was first detected in Europe six decades ago, and it has since been recorded across much of the continent. In the recent European literature, it has been identified as either Ferrissia wautieri (Mirolli, 1960) or as F. clessiniana (Jickeli, 1882), and each name is charged with distinct biogeography associations. F. wautieri is assumed to be endemic, and its absence from earlier European faunal surveys is attributed to its small size, formerly undescribed status, and misidentification as Acroloxus lacustris. In contrast, F. clessiniana is assumed to have recently spread across Western central/Eastern Europe from presumed endemic foci in either Southern Europe and/or North Africa. Based collectively on the phylogenetic placement of a voucher-less GenBank sequence, an early (but overlooked) conchological identification by J. Morrison and a number of striking ecological, morphological and physiological similarities, I proposed an alternate hypothesis. It states that the rapid expansion of this mystery limpet across European watersheds represents a cryptic invasion of New World F.fragilis. My trans- Atlantic invasion hypothesis makes the explicit phylogenetic prediction that genotypes of verified European specimens will nest within a clade of North American F.fragilis and will be phylogenetically distinct from F. clessiniana genotypes sampled from its endemic range. Testing this hypothesis is nthe subject of my oral presentation. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 39 WSM/AMS Field Trip 2006 Amy R. Wethington Early Thursday (August 3), President Roland Anderson herded us all onto a small school bus and we rode for what seemed like hours to our first destination, a place to see some freshwater invertebrates at Pass Lake in Deception Pass State Park. Someone pulled out a crayfish for us to look at and another called my attention to a physid snail. Our only land mollusk expert found a large banana slug that fascinated our bus driver. Before I had a chance to look in the pond myself, it was time to get back on the bus, this time with two additional field-trippers, making the bus even more crowded with folks having to sit in the aisle or on a ice chest. The second place we stopped was Bowman Bay in the same park along the coast. It was a chance to see some rocky intertidal organisms, a real treat to someone like me who grew up in South Carolina. Most of the group followed Roland, but I wound up getting a more personal tutorial from a local boy who had just been to a nature camp and was catching crabs for someone. He showed Tristan and me where they had stored crabs on top of a large rock inside a depression filled with water with a barrier of small rocks. I was just admiring how many Littorina there were and what a good study organism it would make for population studies when it was time to move on. I don’t know what it is that Roland showed the other folks. We then hiked up a rather steep path with an ever increasingly spectacular view of the coast. The Atlantic coast is so much different and I was entranced by the height we climbed to look down onto the open water and very large rocks here and there. Well, there were just a lot of photo-opportunities as we were climbing up that path and I’m afraid the small group I was in fell more and more behind. When we made it to the top we were met by our commander-in-chief giving us his most stern look and fussing at us for “lollygagging.” The next feature of interest on the field trip was a marine lab/station of Walla Walla College. I thought to myself, “this is where I should take my Invertebrate Zoology students every Wednesday when we have lab scheduled.” I talked to the person at charge at the College I teach, but there is no budget to fly four students every Wednesday from North Carolina to the Seattle area! There were a lot of nice rooms for dissecting and looking at all sorts of invertebrates and there was a series of tanks along a hall where students were wrapping up independent projects started in an Invertebrate Zoology class. The lab had a nice view of the water. At this point, we piled back up in the bus and headed to the last site, a nice picnic area over looking another stretch of water. There was maybe an hour or so to eat lunch and poke around. I wound up talking with Virginia who was along for the ride, an amateur malacologist and birder. She is the President of a local shell club where she is from. Before we headed back to Seattle, we were able to get a nice group photo. All in all, it was a nice and fun trip. I wish we spent more time at each place, but Roland is definitely not one to “lollygag.” Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 40 AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL SOCIETY LAND SNAIL FIELD TRIP, 3 AUG. 2006, WESTERN WASHINGTON Timothy A. Pearce Section of Mollusks, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 While the official American Malacological Society field trip went north from Seattle to Deception Pass State Park, our group of non-marine mollusc aficionados went southward. We headed toward Mount Rainier and got to within a few kilometers of the park boundary. The beautiful sunny weather gave gorgeous views of the majestic mountain. Participants were Francisco Borrero, David Campbell, Stephanie Clark, Megan Paustian, Tim Pearce, and Casey Richart. Megan was particularly interested in slugs, David was particularly interested in freshwater molluscs, Stephanie was looking for both freshwater and land molluscs, and the rest of us were mostly interested in land snails. We made three stops, at Ohop Lake, along the Nisqually, and near Buckley. Although I had grown up in Seattle and been interested in land snails there, these localities were all new ones to me. The first stop is a spring beside Ohop Lake where local people stop to get fresh, tasty water. The second stop was near a campground beside Big Creek, a tributary to the Nisqually River. At the third stop I found, for the first time in my life, all four species of locally occurring Polygyridae together under a single sword fern plant. The field trip went longer than we expected because we had so much fun collecting and sharing mollusc stories. A website resource for identifying Land Snails and Slugs of Western Washington is at http://www.evergreen.edu/ants/TESCBiota/mollusc/key/webkey.htm. The website is being written by two of the field trip participants. The specimens from today’s field trip might be represented on the web site in the future as dots on distribution maps that we plan to include. Detailed locality information and the species we found are: Stop 1. Pierce Co., WA. Spring on W side Ohop Lake and W side of Orville Rd. E. East facing slope, with sword ferns. Thuja, and other plants. 46°53.597’N 122°17.08rW 148m elev. Freshwater Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae (2 spp.). Freshwater Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae, Juga sp., Lymnaeidae, Physa sp., Planorbidae. Terrestrial Gastropoda: Ancotrema sportella, Ariolimax columbianus, Avion intermedius, Avion vufus, Cavychium occidentale, Columella simplex, Cvyptomastix gevmana, Devocevas cf. veticulatum, Euconulus fulvus, Planogyva clappi, Pvistiloma lansingi, Pvophysaon cf. andevsoni, Stviatuva pugetensis, Succineidae, Vevtigo columbiana, Vespevicola Columbiana. Stop 2. Lewis Co., WA. Big Creek Campground, Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Vegetation includes devil’s club, sword fern, skunk cabbage. 46°44'08''N 121°58T3"W 552m elev. Freshwater Bivalvia: Sphaeriidae cf. Sphaevium covneum juvenile. Terrestrial Gastropoda: Ancotvema spovtella, Aviolimax columbianus, Avion intevmedius, Cvyptomastix gevmana, Devocevas laeve, Euconulus fulvus, Haplotvema vancouvevense, Nesovitvea cf. binneyana, Pvistiloma lansingi, Pvophysaon andevsoni, Stviatuva pugetensis, Vevtigo columbiana, Vespevicola columbiana. Stop 3. Pierce Co., WA. Near Buckley on 278th Ave E near its intersection with the Sumner-Buckley Hwy E, and near Lower White River. 47°10'31"N 122°03'30"W 200m elev. Terrestrial Gastropoda: Allogona townsendiana, Ancotvema spovtella, Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 41 Ariolimax columbianus, Avion rufus, Carychium occidentale, Cryptomastix devia, ^ Cryptomastix germana, Euconulus fulvus, Haplotrema vancouverense, Monadenia fidelis, Vespericola Columbiana. Western Society of Malacologists Annual Report 39 V ii- I i '' '■ ' ' '*' ' • : ' ; ■; ' ' ' -'’.■I-- A'#*v i^‘: