The Herpetology Project, the most recent addition to the Unit, originated in 1972. Roy W. McDiarmid is the Project Leader. The North American collection of reptiles and amphibians contains about 390,900 specimens. This portion of the National Collection is completely computerized; electronic copies on diskette or compact disks, or hard copy reports can be produced in response to requests for information about holdings. The collection is represented primarily by alcohol-preserved specimens, but also includes an extensive skeleton collection (7,645 specimens) as well as ancillary collections of formalin-preserved amphibian larvae (4,632 specimens), cleared and stained specimens (2,638), and smaller collections of histological microscope slides, tapes of vocalizations, and color transparencies of live animals. The type collection contains 12,407 specimens of which about 62% are from North America.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Collections and Collection Management
Below are publications associated with this project.
Preserving reptiles for research
An investigation into the Swan Island Honduras collecting event of Tiaporus fuliginosus Cope (Reptilia: Teiidae) and its systematic status
Type specimens of Crotalus scutulatus (Chordata: Reptilia: Squamata: Viperidae) re-examined, with new evidence after more than a century of confusion
Voucher specimens: Chapter 6
Crotalus aquilus in the Mexican state of Mexico consumes a diverse summer diet
Commentary on the type material of Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard, 1853 and Tantilla nigriceps Kennicott, 1860 (Reptilia: Squamata), with a neotype designation for T. nigriceps
Catalog of type specimens of recent Crocodilia and Testudines in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
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- Overview
The Herpetology Project, the most recent addition to the Unit, originated in 1972. Roy W. McDiarmid is the Project Leader. The North American collection of reptiles and amphibians contains about 390,900 specimens. This portion of the National Collection is completely computerized; electronic copies on diskette or compact disks, or hard copy reports can be produced in response to requests for information about holdings. The collection is represented primarily by alcohol-preserved specimens, but also includes an extensive skeleton collection (7,645 specimens) as well as ancillary collections of formalin-preserved amphibian larvae (4,632 specimens), cleared and stained specimens (2,638), and smaller collections of histological microscope slides, tapes of vocalizations, and color transparencies of live animals. The type collection contains 12,407 specimens of which about 62% are from North America.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Collections and Collection Management
The Challenge: How can we preserve and maintain evidence from our scientific past and continue to smartly expand that resource to help scientists find the answers to the questions and challenges they will face in the future? - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Preserving reptiles for research
What are voucher specimens and why do we collect them? Voucher specimens are animals and/or their parts that are deposited in a research museum to document the occurrence of a taxon at a specific location in space and time (Pleijel et al., 2008; Reynolds and McDiarmid, 2012). For field biologists, vouchers are the repeatable element of a field study as they allow other biologists, now and in the fAn investigation into the Swan Island Honduras collecting event of Tiaporus fuliginosus Cope (Reptilia: Teiidae) and its systematic status
Confusion exists in the literature concerning the collecting event of the teiid lizard Tiaporus fuliginosus. We investigated the literature and documents stored at the Smithsonian Institution Archives involving the collector of those specimens in an effort to resolve that confusion. We conclude that the type series was collected on the Swan Islands of Honduras by Charles H. Townsend during 1887. WType specimens of Crotalus scutulatus (Chordata: Reptilia: Squamata: Viperidae) re-examined, with new evidence after more than a century of confusion
The original description of Crotalus scutulatus (Chordata: Reptilia: Squamata: Viperidae) was published in 1861 by Robert Kennicott, who did not identify a type specimen or a type locality. We review the history of specimens purported to be the type(s) and various designations of type locality. We provide evidence that ANSP 7069 (formerly one of two specimens of USNM 5027) is the holotype and thatVoucher specimens: Chapter 6
No abstract available.Crotalus aquilus in the Mexican state of Mexico consumes a diverse summer diet
We report observations of the summer diet of Crotalus aquilus (Queretaro dusky rattlesnake) from an agricultural region near San Pedro de los Metates, municipality of Acambay, state of Mexico, Mexico. We recovered the remains of 12 individual prey items from 11 different snakes. Eleven of 38 (29%) snakes observed contained prey remains, including 6 mammals, 3 lizards, and 3 snakes. These observatiCommentary on the type material of Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard, 1853 and Tantilla nigriceps Kennicott, 1860 (Reptilia: Squamata), with a neotype designation for T. nigriceps
We demonstrate that USNM 2040 and not UMMZ 3781 (originally part of lot USNM 4500) was most likely the holotype of Tantilla gracilis. The type specimens of Tantilla nigriceps have been lost or destroyed. It is not possible to determine from the original description of Tantilla nigriceps if this name represents what is currently known as T. nigriceps or T. hobartsmithi. In order to attribute theCatalog of type specimens of recent Crocodilia and Testudines in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
The known type specimens of Crocodilia and Testudines in the collection of the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, published through 2006 represent 93 names of taxa. The catalog presents a list of 249 type-specimen records consisting of 39 holotypes, 52 syntypes, 3 lectotypes, 2 neotypes, 132 paratypes, and 21 paralectotypes. The list - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.