Molluscs of Tasmania

Searching

If you know what you are looking for, and can specify it in a text string, then the simplest means of accessing any of the pages is through the Search function, represented by the magnifying-glass icon. The search function is most useful in accessing species-level pages when the genus or specific epithet is known. Thus a search on “beraudiana” will bring up the thumbnail for the species Austrodrillia beraudiana, and nothing else, since this page is the only place where the search term is mentioned (indeed the spelling of this specific epithet is so unusual that it would also be the only result in a search of “berau” or “audia”). More common epithets, such as “tasmanica”, will of course return many more results. A search on “Cypraeidae” will bring up a link to this family, as well as thumbnails of every species within this family (since the word “Cypraeidae” appears on each species-level page, under “Classification”). Similarly, a search on “limpet” will bring up links to each of the ten mollusc families whose common name includes the word limpet, plus thumbnails for all the species in these families whose common names include this term. Note that two or more search terms can be separated with an “and” to constrain results. For example, searching for “limpet” and “notch” limits the results to the family Fissurellidae and to a subset of species in this family whose common names include both these terms. Note that the search function works across all text content without discrimination. Thus a search on “gabriel” will return thumbnails for all species with this term in their scientific names (such as Dentimargo gabrieli), plus all species described by Gabriel (including those now reduced to synonymy, such as Dentimargo allporti for which difficilis Gabriel, 1961 is a listed synonym).  A search on the term “Taroona” will bring up links to each of the six localities whose names include this term, as well as thumbnails of all the species for which the term is included among the species’ recorded localities.

Navigating

The primary means of navigating to species-level pages is via the Classification tab. This presents a taxonomic hierarchy, from Class through to Family.  At every level in the hierarchy, a click on a particular taxon will bring up thumbnail images of every species within that taxon, presented in alphabetical order; it will also present clickable filters that comprise the species within each of the applicable taxa in the next level down.  It is generally most useful to use the Classification tab to navigate to the level of Family, because (a) the number of species within a family tends to be much smaller than for higher levels; and (b) the species presented are more closely related to each other, making visual comparisons more useful. A further means of navigating to species-level pages is via the Species tab. This presents alphabetically grouped lists of species.  Clicking on one of these will bring up the corresponding species-level page. The primary means of navigating to locality-level pages is via the Localities tab. This presents alphabetically grouped lists of coastal localities around Tasmania.  Clicking on one of these will bring up the corresponding locality-level page.

The book

In 2011 I published The Seashells of Tasmania: A Comprehensive Guide, with support from the Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club.  The book covers virtually all the larger species that can be found, either living or beached, on Tasmanian shores. Many of the images on this web-site are also featured in the book. The Book tab provides further information, including a link for online purchase through the TFNC.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Elaine McDonald, who volunteered to spend untold hours over the course of a year or more, working through the entire content of a previous version of this web-site, and redesigning it into the much-improved one that you see before you. Thanks too to a supportive and understanding family for allowing me to indulge my passion for Tasmanian marine molluscs. Particular thanks to Rob de Little for sharing ideas and records, and for contributing many of the best images on these pages. Thanks also to colleagues at TMAG for support and encouragement; to Liz Turner and Craig Reid for previous access to TMAG and QVMAG records respectively; to the late Margaret Richmond for access to her personal records, to Tim Alexander for help in databasing Margaret Richmond’s records; to the now-defunct Tasmanian Marine Naturalists Association for access to their beachwalk records; to Graham Edgar for access to his personal library; and to Ruiping Gao and Rob Musk for devising means of automating the updating of distribution maps.