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Terrestrial Mollusc Survey of Trinidad & Tobago from 2014-2017

Dataset homepage

Citation

Rutherford M G (2022). Terrestrial Mollusc Survey of Trinidad & Tobago from 2014-2017. The University of the West Indies Zoology Museum (UWIZM). Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/3whypm accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-03-27.

Description

This dataset contains information about the mollusc specimens collected from a variety of mainly terrestrial but also some freshwater habitats at 111 sites throughout the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. The survey was conducted by Mike G. Rutherford for the purposes of gathering data for his PhD study. At the time, he was curator of The University of the West Indies Zoology Museum (UWIZM), St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad & Tobago. The collection is composed of 743 lots of shells and whole animals, the majority of which were identified to species level. They are all stored in the Zoology Room of the UWIZM.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

Sampling was conducted at over 100 sites across Trinidad and Tobago including the largest of the smaller islands, Little Tobago, Monos, Huevos and Chacachacare. The sites selected for surveying were a subset of the 240 sites visited by the Rapid Botanic Survey of Trinidad & Tobago conducted from 2005-2008 by Oxford University, The University of the West Indies, the National Herbarium of Trinidad & Tobago and the Forestry Division and funded by the Darwin Initiative. This was done so that information on habitat and plant diversity could be easily compared with the molluscan diversity.

Sampling

1. Fieldwork At each site searching by hand was undertaken for approximately one hour within a radius of approximately 5 to 20 metres from the coordinates depending on terrain and vegetation cover. Vegetation was examined up to a height of 2 metres, logs and stones were overturned and leaf litter was raked searching for live specimens and empty shells. At each site, several litres of leaf litter and soil were collected for further examination in a laboratory. At certain urban and agricultural sites, there was very little leaf litter, but soil samples were still taken. 2. Laboratory work These samples were then searched by the naked eye for live specimens and then spread out and left to dry in trays. The dried mixture was then put through a series of sieves (10 mm, 5 mm and 1 mm) with the resulting samples being examined under a stereomicroscope to find shells (magnification ranging from x4 to x40). The majority of specimens collected were dried empty shells which were stored in small plastic self-sealing bags with small shells being placed inside gelatine capsules for protection. There were also a few whole animals that were preserved in 70% ethanol. All specimens were labelled and catalogued in the UWIZM Past Perfect 5.0 database.

Quality Control

Identification was carried out by Mike G. Rutherford using suitable literature (see bibliography). Scientific names were validated using Molluscabase (accessed November 2021).

Method steps

  1. See Sampling Description

Taxonomic Coverages

  1. Mollusca
    common name: Molluscs rank: phylum
  2. Achatinidae
    rank: family
  3. Amphibulimidae
    rank: family
  4. Ampullariidae
    rank: family
  5. Annulariidae
    rank: family
  6. Bulimulidae
    rank: family
  7. Charopidae
    rank: family
  8. Cochliopidae
    rank: family
  9. Diplommatinidae
    rank: family
  10. Ellobiidae
    rank: family
  11. Euconulidae
    rank: family
  12. Ferussaciidae
    rank: family
  13. Gastrocoptidae
    rank: family
  14. Gastrodontidae
    rank: family
  15. Helicarionidae
    rank: family
  16. Helicinidae
    rank: family
  17. Helicodiscidae
    rank: family
  18. Neocyclotidae
    rank: family
  19. Orthalicidae
    rank: family
  20. Philomycidae
    rank: family
  21. Physidae
    rank: family
  22. Planorbidae
    rank: family
  23. Sagdidae
    rank: family
  24. Scolodontidae
    rank: family
  25. Sphaeriidae
    rank: family
  26. Streptaxidae
    rank: family
  27. Strophocheilidae
    rank: family
  28. Succineidae
    rank: family
  29. Thiaridae
    rank: family
  30. Thysanophoridae
    rank: family
  31. Trichodiscinidae
    rank: family
  32. Truncatellidae
    rank: family
  33. Urocoptidae
    rank: family
  34. Valloniidae
    rank: family
  35. Vertiginidae
    rank: family
  36. Bivalvia
    rank: class
  37. Gastropoda
    rank: class
  38. Architaenioglossa
    rank: order
  39. Caenogastropoda
    rank: order
  40. Cycloneritida
    rank: order
  41. Ellobiida
    rank: order
  42. Hygrophila
    rank: order
  43. Littorinimorpha
    rank: order
  44. Sphaeriida
    rank: order
  45. Stylommatophora
    rank: order

Geographic Coverages

The country of Trinidad & Tobago including the smaller islands

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Bland, T. (1862). "XXXIII.—On the Geographical Distribution of the Genera and Species of Land Shells of the West India Islands; with a Catalogue of the Species of each Island." Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 7(1): 335-361. -
  2. Crosse, H. (1890). "Faune malacologique terrestre et fluviatile de l'Ile de la Trinité (Antilles)." Journal de Conchyliologie 38: 35-65. -
  3. Guppy, R. J. L. (1864). "XXVII.—Descriptions of new species of Fluviatile and Terrestrial operculate Mollusca from Trinidad." Journal of Natural History 14(82): 243-248. -
  4. Guppy, R. J. L. (1866). "Catalogue of the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of Trinidad." Proceedings of the Scientific Association of Trinidad, Port of Spain 1: 10-35. -
  5. Guppy, R. J. L. (1866). "IV.—On the terrestrial and fluviatile Mollusca of Trinidad." Journal of Natural History 17(97): 42-56. -
  6. Guppy, R. J. L. (1867). "Additions to the Catalogue of the Land and Freshwater Mollusca of Trinidad." Proceedings of the Scientific Association of Trinidad, Port of Spain 1: 135-1137. -
  7. Guppy, R. J. L. (1867). "XL.—Description of a new land-shell from Trinidad." Journal of Natural History 19(112): 260-260. -
  8. Guppy, R. J. L. (1868). "Further Additions to the Catalogue of the Land and Freshwater Molluska of Trinidad." Proceedings of the Scientific Association of Trinidad, Port of Spain 1: 237-245. -
  9. Guppy, R. J. L. (1868). "XLIX.—On the terrestrial Mollusca of Dominica and Grenada; with an account of some new species from Trinidad." Annals and Magazine of Natural History 1 - 4th Series(6): 429-442. -
  10. Guppy, R. J. L. (1871). "Notes on some new forms of terrestrial and fluviatile mollusca found in Trinidad." American Journal of Conchology 6(4): 306-311. -
  11. Guppy, R. J. L. (1872). "Third series of additions to the catalogue of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Trinidad, with a revised list of all species." Proceedings of the Scientific Association of Trinidad, Port of Spain(2): 17-25. -
  12. Guppy, R. J. L. (1893). "The land and freshwater mollusca of Trinidad." The Journal of Conchology 7: 210-231. -
  13. Haas, F. (1960). "Caribbean land molluscs: Vertiginidae." Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 10(1): 1-17. -
  14. Haas, F. (1962). "Caribbean land molluscs: Subulinidae and Oleacinidae." Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 13(1): 49-60. -
  15. Robinson, D. G., Fields, A., & Zimmerman, F. J. (2004). The Terrestrial Malacofauna of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved from Academy of Natural Sciences. -
  16. Smith, E. A. (1896). "A list of the land and freshwater Mollusca of Trinidad." Journal of Conchology 8: 231-251. -
  17. Smith, E. A. (1898). "On some land shells from Trinidad." Journal of Conchology 9: 27-29. -

Contacts

Mike G. Rutherford
originator
position: Curator
The Hunterian
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
GB
email: mike.rutherford@glasgow.ac.uk
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9329-097X
Mike G. Rutherford
metadata author
position: Curator
The Hunterian
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
GB
email: mike.rutherford@glasgow.ac.uk
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9329-097X
Mike G. Rutherford
originator
position: Curator
The Hunterian
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
GB
email: mike.rutherford@glasgow.ac.uk
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9329-097X
Jennalee Ramnarine
point of contact
position: Museum Technician
The University of the West Indies Zoology Museum
St. Augustine
TT
email: jennalee.ramnarine@sta.uwi.edu
Mike G. Rutherford
administrative point of contact
position: Curator
The Hunterian
University of Glasgow
Glasgow
G12 8QQ
GB
email: mike.rutherford@glasgow.ac.uk
userId: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9329-097X
Jennalee Ramnarine
administrative point of contact
position: Museum Technician
The University of the West Indies Zoology Museum
St. Augustine
TT
email: jennalee.ramnarine@sta.uwi.edu
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