Sample checklist of Gastropoda and Bivalvia in Cham Islands, Vietnam

Abstract. BACKGROUND: Cham Islands (Cu Lao Cham) is a group of 8 small islands in the Quang Nam province, Central Vietnam. There is only one study that mentioned the diversity of marine molluscs in this area. However, the data on species composition have not been digitised and not stored or shared for other purposes. Our paper aims to share the checklist of marine mollusc species (Bivalvia and Gastropoda) species that we collected from the littoral zone of Cham Islands in May 2017. This is the first digitised and online data of marine molluscs in Vietnam. It is very important for researchers in various fields such as the structure and function of ecology and biodiversity monitoring. NEW INFORMATION: This study provides a checklist of the marine bivalves and snails in the Cham Islands of Vietnam. Moreover, this first widely shared data of biodiversity in Vietnam can trigger biodiversity data papers in this data-poor country. The data of this study will be important inputs for better understanding biodiversity on the Cham Islands and Vietnam as well as for forming the basis for monitoring, exploitation and conservation of biodiversity in this area. In total, 145 taxa were recorded, 46 bivalve taxa and 99 snail taxa, from which 128 were identified to the species level and 17 were identified to the genus level. There are 116 new species records for the Cham Islands. The specimens are currently deposited in the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).