Arthur Erskine Ellis

Arthur Erskine Ellis (1 October 1902 – 28 February 1983), often known as A.E. Ellis, was a British scientist, biologist and naturalist. Ellis is best known for his large number of malacological publications, including some which became essential texts on the subject of British non-marine malacology. To a lesser extent, Ellis published papers about other land invertebrates and various aspects of the fauna and flora of Britain. In addition Ellis had five ghost stories published.

Ellis was also a plant collector. From 1919 to 1961 he contributed specimens of spermatophytes to a number of different herbariums in Britain.

Stella Turk, the British naturalist said about Ellis, "It is difficult to categorise people. Should one even try? We are all multiple in a singular way!"; she also commented, "As might have been expected, he wrote his own obituary in which he gives a broad outline of his life and very lengthy bibliography", (J. Conch. 31 1983).

Taxa named in his honour
Two taxa were named in Ellis' honour:
 * Limicolariopsis ellisi Crowley & Pain, 1964 (Rev. Zool. Bot, Afr. 69: 191) -- a large African land snail
 * Pisidium (Afropisidium) ellisi Dance, 1967 (J. Conch. 26: 178) -- a small freshwater clam

Books
A.E. Ellis published several books which were the standard reference texts for identifying the non-marine Mollusca of Great Britain and Ireland during most of the 20th century:
 * British Snails, a guide to the non-marine Gastropoda of Great Britain and Ireland, Pleistocene to Recent, 1926, reprinted in 1969, Oxford University Press
 * Key to Land Shells of Great Britain
 * British Freshwater Bivalve Mollusca (Synopses of the British fauna; new series, number 11)

Papers
Publications on non-marine mollusca and obituaries of conchologists:
 * JC = Journal of Conchology. PMS = Proceedings of the Malacological Society (London)


 * 1924	Mollusca of Flamborough. JC 17: 149–153
 * 1924	Notes on some British Helicidae, JC 17: 162–167
 * 1924	Land Mollusca on the Mewstone, JC 17: 187–188
 * 1924	Mollusca in the neighbourhood of Market Harborough, JC 17: 188–192, 212–219; 18:8
 * 1925	Experimental acclimatisation of Sabinea ulvae (Pennant) to freshwater, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 15: 96–7
 * 1925	The invalidity of Sabinea Sowerby. ibid. 16: 48–49
 * 1926	Planorbis (Gyraulus) acronicus Férussac at Oxford. JC 18: 52–53
 * 1926	British Snails. Clarendon Press (2nd edition, 1969).
 * 1926	Helix draparnaudi Sheppard, and Planorbis draparnaldi Jeffreys. JC 18: 54
 * 1926	Notes on some land Molluscs from Land's End. PMS 17: 123–6
 * 1927	Variation in Trichia liberta (Westerlund).JC 18: 118
 * 1927	Additional notes on the Molluscs of the Oxford district. JC 18: 137–8
 * 1927	An abnormality in Lymnaea stagnalis (Linn.).JC 18: 139
 * 1927	The snail as a zoological type, School Science Review No. 34: 102–110
 * 1928	Vertigo moulinsiana (Dupuy) near Norwich. JC 18: 208
 * 1928	Planorbis vorticulus Troschel in West Sussex. PMS 18: 127
 * 1929	A garden fauna. JC 18: 312
 * 1930	Mollusca on Gateholm. JC 19: 61
 * 1931	A reclaimed saltmarsh. PMS 19: 278–9
 * 1931	Molluscs of Wicken Fen [note]. JC 19: 170
 * 1931	Notes on some Norfolk Molluscs. JC 19: 177–8
 * 1931	(with D. Aubertin & G. C. Robson) The natural history and variation of the Pointed Snail, Cochlicella acuta (Müll.). Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. for 1930: 1027–1055, pl. 1
 * 1932	The habitats of Hydrobiidae in the Adur estuary. PMS 20: 11–18
 * 1932	Further localities for Planorbis vorticulus Troschel. JC 19: 258–9
 * 1939	A Surrey Bronze Age interment. JC 21: 90
 * 1939	A discussion on the variation of Lymnaea, etc. PMS 23: 313
 * 1940	The identification of the British species of Pisidium. PMS 24: 44–88, pl. 3–6
 * 1940	Some Devon land snails. JC 21: 190
 * 1941	The Mollusca of a Norfolk broad (presidential address). JC 21: 224–243
 * 1941	Ecological notes. JC 21: 258–9
 * 1941	Anodonta minima Millet in Norfolk. JC 21: 280
 * 1942	Milax gracilis (Leydig) in woodland. JC 21: 325–6
 * 1945	Limax flavus L. in a 'wild' habitat. JC 22: 135
 * 1946	Milax sowerbyi (Fér.) in woodland. JC 22: 177
 * 1946	On Potomida Swainson. PMS 27: 105–8, pl. 7
 * 1946	Freshwater bivalves (Mollusca). Corbicula, Sphaerium, Dreissena. Linn. Soc. Synopses of the British Fauna, No. 4
 * 1947	Freshwater bivalves (Mollusca): Unionacea. ibid. No. 5
 * 1947	Retinella nitidula (Drap.) monstr. sinistrorsum. JC 22: 271
 * 1947	Dimensions of Anodonta minima Millet. JC 22: 271
 * 1948	The survey of Bookham Common. Land Mollusca of Bookham Common. London Naturalist for 1947: 56–59
 * 1949	A Broadland slug [Agriolimax agrestis L.] Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Nature Society. 16: 388
 * 1950	Succinea putris (L.) parasitized by Leucochloridium. JC 23: 107
 * 1950	The type species of Testacella. JC 23: 115
 * 1951	R. Winckworth, obituary. JC 23: 157–62
 * 1954	Volvulus Oken. JC 23: 394
 * 1959	E. W. Swanton, obituary. JC 24: 326
 * 1961	Land and freshwater Mollusca in Norwich and its region, p. 73. British Association. Jarrold, Norwich
 * 1961	H. H. Bloomer, obituary. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. 172nd session: part 1.
 * 1962	British freshwater bivalve Molluscs. Linn. Soc. Synopses of British fauna, No. 13
 * 1964	L. W. Grensted, obituary. JC 25: 291–3, pl. 20
 * 1964	Arion lusitanicus Mabille in Cornwall. JC 25: 285–287
 * 1964	Milax budapestensis (Hazay) in woodland. JC 25: 298
 * 1965	Arion lusitanicus Mabille in Devon. JC 25: 345–347
 * 1967	Agriolimax agrestis (L.): some observations. JC 25: 345–7
 * 1978	British freshwater bivalve Molluscs, Linn. Soc. Synopses of British Fauna (New Series) No. 11

Conchological Society; Papers for Students
 * No. 3 (1964). Key to land shells of Great Britain.
 * No. 3 (2nd edition, 1974). Key to the land snails of the British Isles.
 * No. 12 (1969). Key to British slugs

Publications in the Conchologists' Newsletter:
 * 1961	Land and freshwater snails, additions to the British list, 3:12–13
 * 1962	Biographical note, 4:16
 * 1964	Some etymology, 9:50–51
 * 1964	Sinistrosity, 9:53–54
 * 1964	Snails extinct in England, but living abroad, 11:68–69
 * 1964	Posting living molluscs, 11:68–69
 * 1966	(with Stella Turk), Cornish localities for Arion lusitanicus 16:108
 * 1967	Conkers and conchology, 20:138–139
 * 1967	Nesovitrea hammonis and N. petronella, 21:6
 * 1967	Unorthodox orthography, 22:15–16
 * 1967	Poems on Conchology, 22:24–25
 * 1968	Arion lusitanicus in Ireland, 25:40–41
 * 1968	Metamerism, 25:47
 * 1968	Pronunciation, 27:65–66
 * 1969	Snail-eating dragons, 31:13 122
 * 1970	Slugs and the poets, 35:185–186
 * 1971	Names of British marine molluscs, 37:205–206
 * 1971	Slugs and the poets, 39:233–234
 * 1972	Blueprint for peace, 43:289
 * 1972	Such numbers of snails, 43:289
 * 1973	Who is Brittannia? What is She? 4.44:302
 * 1973	Perils of the deep, 44:310
 * 1973	Footnote to, Who is Britannia, 44:313
 * 1973	An Old English Riddle, 45:316–317
 * 1973	Hooper's hypothesis, 45:323
 * 1973	Biographical and historical footnotes, 45:323
 * 1973	Cochlea liberum, the snail in old nursery rhymes, 47:346–348
 * 1974	Paradise lost? 49:373
 * 1974	First record of Arion lusitanicus in Ireland, 49:384
 * 1974	Review, From the diary of a snail, Günter Grass, 50:393–394
 * 1974	First record of Arion lusitanicus in Ireland, 50:395
 * 1974	Excelsior: the snail ascending, 51:398–399
 * 1975	Place names with a molluscan flavour, 52:412–414
 * 1975	Why collect shells? 53:434–435
 * 1975	Pestalozzian conchology, a note, 54:449–450
 * 1975	Shells as musical instruments, 55:460–461
 * 1975	The snail in 19th century verse, 55:464–466
 * 1975	Pestalozzian conchology, 55:469
 * 1976	L'escargot, 58:519-520
 * 1976	Molluscan place names: supplement, 58:520–521
 * 1976	Correction to an Old English Riddle, 58:521
 * 1977	Shells murmurs, 71:189-190. 62:33–34
 * 1977	The mollusc in fables, 63:44–46
 * 1978	Shakespeare and sea shells, 67:105–106
 * 1979	Adventure of a snail hunter, 69:153–154
 * 1979	Poem on the limpet, 71:182–183
 * 1979	Snails and slugs in Shakespeare, 71:189–190
 * 1981	Cassel's Natural History, 76:309–310.
 * 1982	Celebrities in shells, 81:9
 * 1982	Concerning Captain Thomas Brown, 82:35–36
 * 1982	Sue Wells, international trade in ornamental shells, 83:56