The LKCNHM’s mollusc collection is possibly among the better ones in the region. Within the LKCNHM, the mollusc collection is probably the most diverse in terms of provenance with representative material from more than 100 countries and regions worldwide, and from all continents except Antarctica. Nevertheless, the focus of the collection is on the Southeast Asian malacofauna, and most specimens were collected from Southeast Asia, especially Singapore. 

Although most specimens in the current mollusc collection were added after the ZRC was transferred to the Kent Ridge campus in the 1980s, the important and invaluable historical material inherited from the Raffles Museum is still quite substantial. Many collectors have contributed to the historical collection, but it may be argued that Michael W.F. Tweedie, a member of the staff, and eventual director, of the Raffles Museum was the most noteworthy contributor prior to the 1960s. Tweedie made several trips to the limestone hills of Malaya to collect terrestrial snails, which resulted in the discovery of many new species, and the publication of several important papers on limestone hills and the related molluscs that have stimulated the interest of many latter workers. He appeared to have collected molluscs most actively in the 1930s, based on the number of specimens from Singapore, Malaya, and Christmas Island associated with his name during that period. After the merger of the former Nanyang University with the then University of Singapore, a small ‘Nanyang’ collection was incorporated into the ZRC in the 1980s. 

Since the 1990s, the collection has been growing with a large amount of fresh material deposited by the students, associates, and members of the staff from their various field surveys, expeditions, and other projects. Donations of several private collections, including a few sizable ones, were also received recently, contributing to an exponential increase in the quantity and variety of the specimens in the dry collection. More than 27,000 lots, including over 150 lots of type material, have been catalogued to date. 

Today, the mollusc specimens in the LKCNHM are roughly estimated to number around 120,000. At the last count in 2022, the catalogued material comprises nearly 5,000 species in more than 350 families; as comparison, the mollusc collection was appraised to hold some 1,200 species in 1996. However, it should be noted that a significant amount of material, including a large part of the recently gifted material, remain uncatalogued. The work to sort, clean, identify, and assession the specimens is still ongoing, and the abovementioned numbers are expected to be very different in the coming years.