The collection of recent Mollusca (mollusks) comprises about 1 million samples, of which about 75% have been recorded. For the most part, the collection consists of dry material. There is also alcohol material and microscopic preparations. Coverage of the collection is worldwide and actually has no very emphatic gaps. Well represented are Europe (especially the Netherlands), southeast Asia (especially Indonesia) and the Caribbean (especially the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname). The arrangement is broadly taxonomic. Separated from the main collection is a separate collection of Netherlands (dry), types (dry) and large pieces (dry).
Shells
After more than 200 years, the current collection of recent shells at Naturalis is one of the largest in the world. Not only through purchases, exchanges and donations did the collection grow steadily; also the "harvest" of a seemingly endless amount of collecting trips, surveys and expeditions ended up in the Naturalis depot. Although the emphasis was on the Netherlands and its former colonies, the collection was not limited to these locations and was collected in many parts of the world, often in the form of programs lasting several years (Cape Verde, Canary Islands and Mauritania; Suriname; Indonesia).
Mollusks in formaldehyde
In addition to the collection of dried shells, Naturalis also manages an extensive collection of mollusks preserved in alcohol, from tiny planktonic snails to a giant squid once fished out of the North Sea.
The reflection of about 250 years of collecting and studying mollusks in the Netherlands is in Naturalis. This ranges from shells, which are depicted in 18th century plate works, to mollusks that have formed the basis of dissertations or top publications. About 1.5% of the collection consists of type samples. The collection continues to grow steadily.
Whowork with this
Katja Peijnenburg
Keypublications
A.W. Janssen, A.N. van der Bijl, J. Goud, K.T.C.A. Peijnenburg, R. Pouwer, D. Wall-Palmer & F. Wesselingh, 2020
The Naturalis collections of pelagic Gastropoda (Mollusca)
Basteria , 84(4/6): 215- 264
A.N. van der Bijl, 1992
De malacologische collectie van Artis 1838-1900, 184pp.
P.A.J. Bakker, 2021
Triphoridae types (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden
Basteria, 85(2), 145-153