Abstract

Between 1950 and 1960 a large collection of marine Mollusca was made in Singapore waters, mostly at coastal sites on Singapore island and neighbouring small islands, but some specimens were collected by dredging in the same general area. The specimens were photographed, provisionally identified in Singapore, and then transferred to Philadelphia where they were incorporated into the collections of the Natural Science Foundation of Philadelphia. In 1973 and 1974 another large collection of marine Mollusca was made on the east and west coasts of West Malaysia. This included specimens collected at many coastal sites and small islands off both coasts, and also specimens from deeper water collected from commercial trawl hauls of ‘trash fish’ due to be processed into fish meal. After preliminary identification these specimens were posted to Britain and were finally identified at the British Museum (Natural History). The majority of these specimens were incorporated into the collections at the Museum (B.M.(N.H.)), as also were the photographs of the Singapore specimens.

This paper provides an account of the collecting stations in West Malaysia and Singapore, grouping the information gained into sections on rocky shores, coral reefs, sandy shores, mangroves, and sublittoral molluscs. Many species of bivalve,and some gastropods, are commercially exploited via the market stalls of West Malaysia and of Singapore, and these are recorded.

Part-2, and Part 3, provide full information on the species encountered in the region, and the localities at which theywere individually found, for the Gastropoda and for the Bivalvia respectively. Where possible, the local Malay names of molluscan species are specified. The use of bold type recording locality data indicates that specimens of that species and from that locality have been deposited in the collections of the Museum (B.M.(N.H.)). For the majority of species which are not represented thus in the collections, there are photographs derived from specimens which have been deposited at Phildelphia.