The Mollusc collection

The Mollusc Collection of the ZMA consists of roughly 300.000 samples. A special focus lies on landmolluscs from Indonesia (Van Benthem Jutting), the Caribbean (Coomans, Moolenbeek & Faber) and the Indian Ocean (Siboga Expedition, Moolenbeek), the family Conidae (Moolenbeek & Coomans) and the family Sphaeriidae (Kuiper). Altogether more than 4600 type samples are registered.

The scientific collection of the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam originates from the rich collection of the Royal Zoological Society ‘Natura Artis Magistra', the Artis Zoo. It was started in 1838 and the first director was R.W. Draak. In 1844 A. Oltmans, the first curator of molluscs, was appointed on an honorary basis. He was a keen malacologist and successfully built up a valuable collection. In 1872 he was succeeded by W.N.M van de Blocquery. During this period R.T. Maitland and C. Kerbert, employes of Artis, also contributed.

Considerable sources of samples in those days were sailors, scientists and travelers. They were asked to collect molluscs from all around the world and to donate them to the Zoo. Even more important were the legacies or donations of important collections, as was the buying of private collections on shell auctions. This way the collections of J.C. Brandt, J. Cock Blomhoff, M.J.B. Noordhoek Hegt, G. de Serière, G.L.J. van der Hucht, J. Dennison, J. Voorhoeve and many others were acquired. Also shells were bought from foreign dealers like Jamrach, Verreaux, Damon, Frank, Sowerby or Wright. In 1866 the cabinet of the ‘Hollandse Maatschappij der Wetenschappen' in Haarlem was bought in which material was found, once owned and published by Valentijn (1728).

In 1892 the collections were put under curatorship of the University of Amsterdam, where several scientifically educated curators were responsible for the entire zoological collections. They did not however actively contribute to the malacological collection. W. Reinkingh worked as an honorary associate during the period 1892-1905. The Siboga Expedition (1899-1900) to the Dutch East Indies organized by Max Weber, professor and director of the Zoological Museum Amsterdam, greatly contributed to the size and importance of the collections. The scaphopods were studies by Ms M. Boissevain, curator from 1898 to 1902.

In the beginning of the 20th century there was a growing interest in studying the Dutch fauna. Ms J. Scholten, librarian of the Artis library, and J.H. Kruimel, curator from 1910 to 1914, made contributions to this part of the collection. The latter also published on freshwater snails from Celebes (Dutch East Indies). With the appointment of W.S.S. van Benthem Jutting in 1919 special attention was paid to the molluscs. Her main interests during a period of over 40 years were the Dutch collection, the land snails from the Dutch East Indies [now Indonesia] and Netherlands New Guinea [now Papua] and the history of malacology.

From 1938 to 1955 she was assisted by an honorary associate I.A.J. de Wilde and from 1955 to 1973 by collections-manager J.H. Geerling. During this period H. Engel, professor of zoogeography and director of the museum, made contributions by studying the Nudibranchia. Both Van Benthem Jutting and Engel had several students who studied special groups of molluscs.

After her retirement Van Benthem Jutting was succeeded by H.E. Coomans in 1965. During his career several collections (Mrs S. Martin [mainly marine molluscs of the Philippines] and J.G.J. Kuiper [European land snails]) were acquired. He published about the West Indies and the family Conidae. Since 1974 he was assisted by R.G. Moolenbeek, who took care of the collections. Coomans retired in 1994 and since then Moolenbeek curates the department, at intervals assisted by A.N. van der Bijl. Together they publish on the history of malacology in the Netherlands. Moolenbeek published on the family Conidae and the marine [micro]molluscs of the West Indies, Macronesia and the Indian Ocean. He participated in several expeditions to the Sultanate of Oman and Indonesia (with Naturalis) and collected marine molluscs in Thailand, Mauritius and Rodrigues.

S. van der Spoel, emeritius curator of the department Vermes and Marine Plankton, also studied molluscs, in particular the Pteropoda and some other groups of pelagic molluscs. After his retirement in 2000 these collections were transferred to the molluscs section. The section also houses the library of the Netherlands Malacological Society and is the monthly home for the Amsterdam Malacological Working Group.

For loans and visits:
Contact: Robert G. Moolenbeek
Curator of the mollusc collection
Mauritskade 57
1092 AD Amsterdam
phone: (0)20-5256294
fax: (0)20-5255402
email: r.g.moolenbeek@uva.nl