Dr Adolf Zilch

Frankfurt a. M., 10. 01. 2006

Dear colleagues,

with sorrow and great concern I have to announce the death of Dr Adolf Zilch. After a long and fulfilled life A. Zilch passed away on January 1st , at the age of 94.

Dr Zilch was one of the most recognized malacologists worldwide. With  his handbook on the “Euthyneura”, which is a standard tool even today nearly 50 years after its publication, he gained high international reputation. His vast knowledge in the field of world-wide terrestrial malacology became famous. A. Zilch was one of the founders of Unitas malacologica and for many decades president of the German malacological society. At the Research Institute Senckenberg Adolf Zilch held the position of the curator of the mollusc collection for more than forty years, he served as vice-director of the institute and head of the department of zoology as well as editor of three scientific journals, among them the Archiv für Molluskenkunde. After retirement in 1976 A. Zilch still worked in the malacological section for another 20 years as honorary collaborator. Besides malacology, his interests focused on music and history and he was a highly recognized specialist in the field of numismatics.

An obituary will be published in Archiv  für Molluskenkunde.

Ronald Janssen

Malacology section,

Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg,

Frankfurt a. Main, Germany