The collection of amphibians and reptiles in the Division of Herpetology is
the fifth largest in the reptiles.
The collection has grown from 50,000 specimens in 1959 to approximately 290,000
specimens today. Nearly 70% of all reptile and amphibian genera and
approximately 50% of reptile and amphibian species worldwide are represented in
the collection. The collection includes 555 holotypes.
In addition to the fluid-preserved specimens, there are 8,000 skeletons
(including the world's largest collection of anuran skeletons)
, an extensive collection of amphibian larvae and eggs, 2,000 recordings
of anuran vocalizations, and 12,500 color transparencies. The composition of
the collection is 71.43% Neotropical, 24.65% Neartic, 1.41% Ethiopian, 1.04% Oriental, 0.90% Australo-Papuan, and 0.32%
ACCESS TO THE COLLECTION AND COLLECTION DATA
Loan
Policy
The collection is a heavily used resource. In addition to staff and student
research, the Division of Herpetology handles an average of 208 loan
transactions each year (ca. 6,000 specimens).
Specimens in the collection are generally available for loan upon approval by
the Curator-in-Charge, Dr. Linda Trueb. Specimens may
be loaned to qualified, recognized professionals or their students, at the
discretion of the Curator-in-Charge, for a period of 6 months. Graduate and
undergraduate students requesting specimens on loan must submit a letter of
request co-signed by their major professor. The borrower assumes full and
complete responsibility for the material on loan, and agrees to all conditions
specimens for the handling and
storage of borrowed specimens. The criteria considered in granting a loan
request include, but are not limited to, the number of specimens in the
request, which specimens are requested, the condition of the specimens, what
the borrower plans to do with the specimens, the project design, the previous
loan record of the borrower, the location of the borrower, and priority use of
the material by another researcher. In some situations, it may be preferable
for a researcher to visit the Division of Herpetology instead of borrowing
specimens.
Specimen Data Policy
The catalog data for the specimens in the collection is available in an
electronic database. Although the collection data is not available on-line, you
can access an inventory of the holdings via the Herpetology Combined Database.
This site allows you to find out what species and how many specimens are in 27
herpetological collections around the world. It can be found at: http://www.calacademy.org/research/herpetology/Comb_Coll_Index/
Electronic or hardcopy reports of collection data are available to qualified
professional and student researchers. Reports can be generated based on
taxonomic or geographic categories. Requests for data on specimens in the
collection can be made to the Collection Manager, John E. Simmons, or to the
Curator-in-Charge, Dr. Linda Trueb.
COLLECTION FACILITES
Limited visitor space is available for qualified professional and student
researchers to work in the Division of Herpetology. Because we host an average
of 33 visitors (for 157 visitor days) a year in the division, it is necessary
to make arrangements in advance with the Collection Manager, John E. Simmons,
or the Curator-in-Charge, Dr. Linda Trueb.
The Division of Herpetology Laboratory is designed to provide a clean, safe
working environment for specimen processing and research. It is equipped with
bench top fume collectors, a fume hood, and space for visitors to work. All
visitors to the lab must follow the laboratory safety rules and regulations.
The collection is housed in a state-of-the-art fluid collection facility, which
opened in 1996. The facility has 2,400 sq ft of collection storage space on
four floors. The collection storage environment is maintained at 65°F
year-round. Specimens are protected by an overhead sprinkler system, an HVAC
system with 100% air make-up, and UV-shielded lighting.