Laudatio for Dr. Winston F. Ponder – a life of malacology

Abstract

ABSTRACT For over 50 years Winston Ponder has been at the forefront of molluscan research. Young Winston collected land snails in the environs of Lower Hutt, New Zealand and marine species at Waikanae Beach northwest of Wellington. He attended Victoria University in Wellington in 1959 but moved to Auckland University in 1960 to study under Professor John E. Morton, with whom he completed his B.Sc. in 1963 (Galeommatoidea), his M.Sc. with 1st Class Honours in 1965 (Rissoidae), and his Ph.D. in 1968 (Neogastropoda). Winston was appointed Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the Dominion Museum in 1967. However, he soon moved to Australia after accepting the position of Curator of Molluscs at the Australian Museum in 1968. He would spend the next 37 years there. Winston has published in almost 50 different scientific journals and numerous edited books and volumes. He has collaborated with almost 100 different co-authors from around the world and has addressed multiple taxa and questions across the phylum. He has been a strong advocate for Australasian malacology. His advocacy has also included a robust outreach to students. However, his advancement of Australasian malacology was not done to the exclusion of the global role and needs of the discipline.