Dear Conch-L,

As promised, and (lest some of you think I am shirking primary
responsibilities) now that American Conchologist is in the mail after
numerous distressing but unavoidable delays, I'll take some time to list
the contributions of Vita Marina through the last few years. Read and
weep for what, undreamt of, you stand to lose:

May 1998: (Vol 45:1-2)
*Peter Wirtz's Opisthobranch Mollusks from the Azores - Plus five plates
containing 41 color photos of these dancing beauties!
*Hermann Leberecht Strack's The Rumphius Biohistorical Expedituin, a
story of present and past marine biology. This is a detailed and
facscinating account of a 1990 expedition to Ambon to collect marine
invertebrates in the localities mentioned by Rumphius in 1705. Wonderful
plates!
*Kevin L. Lamprell's Recent Spondylus Species from the Middle East and
Adjacent Regions, with the Description of Two New Species. Here's Kev on
his beloved spondylus, reviewing the Middle East spondylid fauna
including the descriptiopn of S. smytheae from the Red Sea and Solomon
Islands and S. pickeringae from the Red Sea. 4 colorful plates of shells
and a fifth with some great shots of Spondylus in situ.

December 1998: (Vol 45: 3-4)
Strombus fanciers: Here's Gijs:
* Gijs Kronenberg's Revision of Euprotomus Gill, 1870. 1. The systematic
position of Strombus listeri    Gray, 1852. in English and Dutch.
* Mauro Morassi's New Species of Spirotropis (Gastropoda: Turridae) from
the Gulf of Aden. This is a tiny, delicate white shell from deep water
on mud.
* Gijs again:  Gijs J. Kronenberg and Henk Dekker's A new species of
Cotonopsis Olsson, 1942 from an unexpected locality (Gastropoda
Prosobranchia: Columbellidae)- C. vanwalleghemi is a beautiful
lanceolate 2" white shell with chestnut flammules from the Andaman Sea.
* R.P.A. Voskuil's On the Identity of Cardium robillardi Sowerby, 1894
* F.F.L.M. Titselaar's Part 1 of A Revision of Recent European
Patellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda). This is a great introduction to the
Patellidae in general as well as being a systematic treatment. It's
heavily and beautifully illustrated and has a great bibliography.

June 1999 Vol 46: 1-2
*Peter Wirtz on opisthobranchs again, this time on Opisthobranch
Mollusks from the Madeira Archipelago with six plates of colorful
molluscan finery and a bilingual (English and Dutch, as always)
discussion of the species!
*Kevin Lamprell and Richard N. Kilburn of South Africa on The Genera
Lioconcha and Pitar is South Africa and Mozambique, with descriptions of
three new species (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Veneridae) 4 b/w plates
and
*Kevin Lamprell and Richard N. Kilburn again on Lioconcha and Pitar
species from Mascarene and Andaman Islands with a note on Pitar
bucculentus (Romer, 1862) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Veneridae) with two b/w
plates.
* Henk Dekker and Hugh H. Kool on A Re-evaluation of the Nassarius
albescens (Dunker, 1846) species-group (Gastropoda: Nassariidae) with a
great color plate!
*F.F.L.M. Titselaar with Observations in the Canary Islands Part 2:
Marine Molluscs from La Palma (Part 1 was in the Spirula Newsletter (the
newsy alter ego of Vita Marina) Vol. 44:2 1996) amply illustrated with
shells and views, in color.
*Gijs C. Kronenberg and Henk Dekker on Cotonopsis vanwalleghemi
Kronenberg and Dekker, 1998, a junior synonym of Strombina phuketensis
Kosuge, Roussy and Muangman, 1998, with some notes on the generic
position and colour pattern (Gastropoda Prosobranchia: Columbellidae)
wherein the authors demote their own new species. Kosuge Roussy and
Muangman's description of the columbellid in the Bulletin of the
Institute of Malacology of Tokyo predated their own description by two
months.

December 1999 Vol 46: 3-4
* Boyer, Franck and Jan Neefs offer A Systematic Study of the Marginella
musica group (Gastropoda: Marginellidae) with 4 color plates of amazing
clarity.
* Michael Schrodl on opisthobranchs:  Glossodoris charlottae, a New
Chromodorid Nudibranch from the Red Sea (Gastropoda:
Opisthobranchia)What a pretty thing!
*Gijs C. Kronenberg on Distorsio perdistorta Fulton from Angola with
some remarks on Atlantic Personidae (Gastropoda) 1 color plate
*Roland Hadorn: New Discoveries from southeastern Africa: Two new
Fusinus (Gastropoda: Fasciolariidae) from South Mozambique and Natal:
Fusinus rogersi sp. nov. and Fusinus kilburni sp. nov. with 2 color
plates of these two new Fusinus and similar species.
*Roland Hadorn and Koen Fraussen on more Fusinus: Rediscovery of Fusinus
subangulatus (von Martens, 1903) and description of a new Somalian
Fusinus (Gastropoda: Fasciolariidae) including some notes on the
taxonomic position of the genus Siphonofusus Kuroda and Habe, 1952.


2000  Vol 47: 1  (Can't locate this one. The contents to No. 2 indicate
the following:)
* Lamprell, Kevin L. and Richard C. Willan on Rectification of
nomenclature for three species of Spondylus (Linnaeus) (Bivalvia:
Pectinoidea: Spondylidae) from the Indo-Pacific based on re-examination
of type specimens. (8 pages)
* Alfonso, C.M.L., P.P.M. Morenito and F.F.L.M. Titselaar on Collecting
Shells in "Ria Formosa," a coastal lagoon system in southern Portugal.
(9 pages)
* Willan, Richard C. on Strombus Hickeyi, a new species in the
Labiostrombus (Gastropoda: Strombidae) from the tropical southwestern
Pacific Ocean. (7 pages)


August 2000 (Vol 47: 2)
*Tax, C.J.H.M. Nautilus Shells as Collectors' Items in the "Kunst und
Wunderkammer." Supplementary Notes (2)  This is a 4-page supplement to a
16 page 1995 article and 1996 supplement 1 on this ever fascinating
shell which so attracts the efforts of artists. Photos of wonderful
bibelots abound  in all these articles.
*Dekker, Henk on The Neritidae (Gastropoda) from the circumarabian seas,
with the description of two new spcies, a new subgenus and a new genus.
Has about a 200-item bibliography on Tom Eichhorst's favorite shell!
Plus five magnificent plates!

To all the above articles, let me add that with all this you get a very
elegant format, glossy paper and the wonderful art of Leo Man in 't
Veld! See their website for a glimpse of his stuff: (And, oh RATS! Now
that I have typed all this stuff, I see they have it all and lots more
on their webpage! Well, anyway, 'tis a great cause!

<http://home.wxs.nl/~spirula/>

Leo's art is at
<http://home.wxs.nl/~spirula/leosart.htm>

Lynn Scheu
Louisville, KY