Division
of Amphibians and Reptiles About
the Division of Amphibians & Reptiles
- Research
in the division covers a wide spectrum of biological
topics and geographic areas. Most research is
collections based and emphasizes the evolution,
biogeography and systematics of selected groups
of frogs, lizards, snakes and turtles from North
America, tropical Americas, Oceania and adjacent
western Pacific Rim countries. Staff scientists
in the Division use a variety of approaches,
including general morphology, morphometry, and
molecular techniques. Biodiversity surveys and
monitoring population and community structure
are regular features of the staff's fieldwork.
Amphibians & Reptiles
Collection Profile
- Specimen Count: 562,000
- Types: 10,000
- New Acquisitions: 5,567 |
Collections:
The Amphibian and Reptile Collection is the
second largest and among the most important
in the world, numbering over 562,000 specimens
organized alphabetically by taxonomy, and then
numerically within a species. Each year about
5,000 new specimens are added to the collection
and about 1,200 specimens sent on loan to other
researchers. The oldest documented specimen
dates back to 1834.
The
collection is comprised of over 144,000 frogs,
230 salamanders, 350 caecilians, 800 crocodilians,
16 tuatara, 107,000 lizards, 450 amphisbaenids,
50,000 snakes, and 18,000 turtles. Of these,
over 10,000 are type specimens, with highest
representation of North and Latin American taxa.
The majority of specimens, 530,000, in the Amphibian
and Reptile collection are wet collections -
specimens stored in 70% ethanol. The division
also maintains 13,200 dry collections, mostly
skeletal material but also including flat skins.
The glycerin-stored cleared and stained collection
- specimens resulting from a process that transparently
clears the specimen tissues leaving bone stained
red and cartilage blue - counts about 4,100
specimens and mainly includes preparations of
small specimens that would be damaged or deformed
during the process of making traditional skeletal
preparations.
The
Division has 7,700 formalin-stored specimens,
primarily consisting of amphibian larvae, particularly
tadpoles. The histological slide collection
of 1,500 features microscope slides from Ernest
Wever's research on amphibian and reptile ears
but also includes important representative slides
from aging and reproductive studies. The Division
has a sound archive that includes both the original
and archival copies of audiotapes, primarily
of frog vocalizations, as vouchers of published
works and species reference. Most tapes have
been digitized and transferred to CD's. Images,
including print and digital photographs as well
as x-rays are also included in the Division's
collections. Tissue samples, although not considered
part of the permanent collections because they
are typically consumed by the analysis, are
routinely collected and a sizable number representing
a variety of taxa are available for research
and study.
Facilities:
Specialized facilities including radiographic
and light photography systems (both digital
and film in each case), darkroom, digital imaging
and histological facilities, and sound analysis
equipment are available. A separate osteopreparatory
and marine mammal necropsy laboratory is located
at the Museum Support Center. These are supplemented
by discipline specific libraries and archives
of original illustrations, maps, and sound recordings.
Field
Work:
Staff in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology
has conducted field research on all continents
with particular emphasis throughout the Americas,
portions of Africa and Southeast Asia and adjoining
regions and across many portions of the World
Ocean. In recent years traditional forms of
specimen preparation have been supplemented
by photographic documentation of life coloration,
more encompassing anatomical preparations, and
preservation of materials for molecular studies.
Education
and Outreach:
Graduate Programs are available in conjunction
with University of Maryland and George Washington
University including formal affiliations through
the Robert
Weintraub Program in Systematics and Evolution.
Through this program GWU faculty and graduate
students work on a variety of organisms including
bacteria, protists, angiosperms, cnidarians,
mollusks, polychaete worms, arthropods, echinoderms,
dinosaurs, fish, mammals and lizards.
Staffs
in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology and
Affiliated Agencies are also active as advisors
to students throughout North America and in
some countries in Central and South America
and Europe. Students and researchers are welcome
to conduct scientific investigations using the
collections and facilities within the Department
and may borrow certain materials for loan through
their academic advisors and institutions.
Libraries:
The library holdings in Vertebrate Zoology are
divided among the four divisional libraries
with references focusing on systematics, taxonomy,
anatomy and physiology, ecology and distribution,
and evolution of their respective subject groups.
The Amphibian and Reptile Library has approximately
3,500 volumes, maintains 35 journal subscriptions,
and includes over 70,000 herpetological reprints
making it the largest such collection in the
world.
Programs
& Affiliates
Biological
Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey:
Staff scientists of the Biological Resources
Division of the U.S. Geological Survey (Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center) are presently based
at the National Museum of Natural History in
the Divisions of Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds
and Mammals under terms of an interagency Memorandum
of Understanding. A major role of the USGS scientists
in each Division is to serve as collection curators
alongside SI staff. A separately managed staff
of curatorial technicians and museum specialists
is deployed among the Divisions to assist curators
in both routine and special curatorial projects
as needed. The scientists conduct a wide variety
of both basic and applied (and largely collections-based)
research projects and technical assistance,
including original taxonomic descriptions and
analyses, major taxonomic treatises, biogeographic
and ecological research, and production of manuals
on standard methods of biodiversity inventory
and monitoring. Contact: Robert P. Reynolds.
For
more information about the NMNH Division of
Amphibians and Reptiles, including a complete
staff listing and research initiatives, visit
the Amphibians and Reptiles website.
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