MOLLUSCS 2009

Brisbane, Australia
25 to 27 November 2009

Save the dates!

The Malacological Society of Australasia (MSA) promotes the study of molluscs in the Australasian region and nearby areas of Asia. Molluscs are the second largest phylum of animals and comprise a quarter of all described marine organisms. Our members include amateurs, students and scientists. One of the key ways the MSA works to improve our understanding of molluscs is through conferences held every three years. Previous, very successful, conferences have been held at Rottnest Island, Western Australia (1997), Sydney (2000), Perth (as part of the World Congress of Malacology, 2004) and Wollongong, New South Wales (2006).

The MSA is pleased to announce that the next conference in the series Molluscs 2009 will be held at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, from Wednesday 25 November through Friday 27 November 2009.
The conference will have several major symposia. Possible topics include:

• Molluscan fisheries and aquaculture
• Molluscs as pests (agricultural pests, biosecurity/invasive spp. etc.)
• Phylogeny and systematics
• Evolution and development
• Biogeography
• Chemical communication
• Molluscs as indicators of environmental change
• Tropical and subtropical molluscs

One-two day workshops will be held, possibly at an island laboratory, before and/or after the conference. Current suggestions include:

• Freshwater molluscs or Marine micromolluscs
• Bivalves
• Analysis of development

Further information will be provided as the program develops. If you are interested in organising or participating in a particular symposium or workshop, please contact Dr Bernie Degnan, chair of the organising committee (b.degnan@uq.edu.au), or Dr Winston Ponder (wponder@bigpond.net.au).

http://www.malsocaus.org