Hazel Meredith and her contributions to the study of the land molluscs of Malaŵi

The contributions to the study of land molluscs in Malaŵi by Hazel Maureen Meredith (1932-2014), a graduate of London and Reading Universities, resident in Malaŵi in the period 1975-1988, are evaluated. The first, and more or less only, work by E.A. Smith on the terrestrial snails of this country, then called Nyasaland, dates back to Victorian times –Hazel Meredith revived this branch of zoology by actively collecting all over the country with special attention for the minute snails dwelling in the leaf litter. Her contact with A.C. van Bruggen at Leiden University resulted in a series of papers in the period 1983-2014. The malacofauna of Malaŵi, at the crossroads of South, East and Central Africa, is rich and diverse. A number of remarkable discoveries is due to Hazel Meredith’ untiring efforts (table 2), particularly as regards sampling leaf mould. The meagre Victorian checklist of a mere 30 terrestrial species was expanded to at least 150 species.