Exhibition "In the Forests of Borneo"
Molluscs of Borneo
An overview of the diversity of shapes and colors of Borneo’s mollusks Natural History Museum of Florence. Zoology Collections.
1 Pila ampullacea; 2 Corbicula moltkiana
3 Exrhysota brookei; 4 Mesanella monochroa palawanica; 5 Dyakia regalis; 6 Dyakia regalis; 7 Cochlodryas viridostriata; 8 Pterocyclos tenuilabiatus; 9 Mieniplotia scabra; 10 Pythia plicata; 11 Leptopoma sericatum; 12 Cerithidea charbonnieri; 13 Cerithidea obtusa; 14 Brotia episcopalis; 15 Amphidromus perversus (sinistrorsa); 16 Amphidromus perversus (destrorsa)
The malacofauna of Borneo is among the richest and most diverse in Southeast Asia: a mosaic of terrestrial and freshwater species that reflects the island’s ecological complexity. The dense rainforests and shaded waterways are home to snails, limpets, and small bivalves, many of which are endemic, adapted to live in humid environments, on decaying logs, or among the leaves of the forest litter. Some species have thin, translucent shells, while others display robust sculpted spirals, often of striking morphological elegance. Terrestrial and freshwater mollusks play an essential role in tropical ecosystems: they recycle organic matter, contribute to soil formation, and serve as a food source for many animals.
Beccari collected and brought back to Italy specimens of 181 species of terrestrial mollusks, later studied by Arturo Issel and published in 1871 in a systematic catalog. These represent one of the first and most extensive scientific records of this extraordinary biodiversity, revealing a discreet yet fundamental world for the balance of Borneo’s tropical forest.
Title page of the volume “Molluschi Borneensi: Illustrazione Delle Specie Terrestri e d'Acqua Dolce, Raccolte nell'Isola di Borneo dai Signori G. Doria E O. Beccari”, by Arturo Issel, 1874.