Scientists and staff of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center stationed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) do research on the systematics and conservation of vertebrate species and curate and manage the North American collections of Amphibian, Reptile, Bird, and Mammal specimens and associated records.
Museum-based systematics research provides an evolutionary framework for understanding the diversity, relationships, and natural history of species of vertebrates and is crucial to managing ecological systems in biologically meaningful ways. Assessing the status, population trends, and abundance of taxa requires an appreciation and understanding of their biology and the functional roles they play in biotic systems. Sound taxonomy and reliable statistics are vital for management and conservation planning by resource agencies and organizations.
The Biological Survey Unit (BSU) of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center stationed at the NMNH in Washington, D.C., traces its roots back to a formal partnership with the Smithsonian Institution established in 1889. The BSU biologists at the NMNH conduct original research on the systematic relationships, nomenclature, and biodiversity of four groups of vertebrates: amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, that are part of the National Collection housed in the NMNH. They contribute to our understanding of biodiversity by discovering and describing new taxa, determining evolutionary relationships among taxa, and providing taxonomic identifications and general museum support to several agencies within the Department of the Interior (e.g., FWS), as well as to other federal agencies. Taxonomic and methodological expertise in the BSU continues to make important contributions to the preparation and revision of authoritative checklists of vertebrates and authoritative guides for measuring and monitoring biodiversity around the world. In addition, BSU scientists provide important expertise on behalf of the USGS to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), a standard for scientific nomenclature adopted by the Federal government.
Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the BSU and the NMNH cooperate in areas of mutual interest and concern in research, collection care, and information management. The BSU shares laboratory facilities and research tools with the NMNH and both parties jointly develop policies established to benefit the care and use of the collections and associated data. The BSU has curatorial responsibility for approximately 1,000,000 scientific specimens of North American amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals that are used by a broad spectrum of investigators concerned with topics of international, national, and regional scopes. North America as used herein includes all the North American Continent extending from the Panamanian/Colombian border to the North Pole, Hawaii, the Bahamas, and the West Indies. In addition to the collection-based research, primary staff responsibilities include caring for and managing the collections and associated records, curating selected segments of the collections, collecting and processing new materials for addition to the collections, making identifications, assisting visitors in the use of collection resources, transacting loans of study specimens, processing requests for information about specimens and their associated data, and answering questions from the public about amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Amphibian & Reptile Collections
Bird Collections
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Below are publications associated with this project.
Spatial organization of the gastrointestinal microbiota in urban Canada geese
Molecular systematics and biodiversity of the Cryptotis mexicanus group (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae): two new species from Honduras supported
Diadophis Puntatus Puntatus (Southern Ring-neck Snake) Predation
Pranked by Audubon: Constantine S. Rafinesque's description of John James Audubon's imaginary Kentucky mammals
A replacement name for Asthenes wyatti perijanus Phelps 1977
Taxonomic revision of Phascogale tapoatafa (Meyer, 1793) (Dasyuridae; Marsupialia), including descriptions of two new subspecies and confirmation of P. pirata Thomas, 1904 as a ‘Top End’ endemic
A further note on the scientific name of Bullocks’ Oriole
A new species of Cryptotis (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) from the Sierra de Perijá, Venezuelan-Colombian Andes
Functional skeletal morphology and its implications for locomotory behavior among three genera of myosoricine shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Who invented the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)? On the authorship of the fraudulent 1812 journal of Charles Le Raye
Variation in the myosoricine hand skeleton and its implications for locomotory behavior (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Comment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): request for confirmation of availability of the generic name and for the nomenclatural validation of the journal in which it was published (Case 3601; BZN 70:234–237; 71:30–38; 13
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- Overview
Scientists and staff of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center stationed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) do research on the systematics and conservation of vertebrate species and curate and manage the North American collections of Amphibian, Reptile, Bird, and Mammal specimens and associated records.
Museum-based systematics research provides an evolutionary framework for understanding the diversity, relationships, and natural history of species of vertebrates and is crucial to managing ecological systems in biologically meaningful ways. Assessing the status, population trends, and abundance of taxa requires an appreciation and understanding of their biology and the functional roles they play in biotic systems. Sound taxonomy and reliable statistics are vital for management and conservation planning by resource agencies and organizations.
The Biological Survey Unit (BSU) of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center stationed at the NMNH in Washington, D.C., traces its roots back to a formal partnership with the Smithsonian Institution established in 1889. The BSU biologists at the NMNH conduct original research on the systematic relationships, nomenclature, and biodiversity of four groups of vertebrates: amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, that are part of the National Collection housed in the NMNH. They contribute to our understanding of biodiversity by discovering and describing new taxa, determining evolutionary relationships among taxa, and providing taxonomic identifications and general museum support to several agencies within the Department of the Interior (e.g., FWS), as well as to other federal agencies. Taxonomic and methodological expertise in the BSU continues to make important contributions to the preparation and revision of authoritative checklists of vertebrates and authoritative guides for measuring and monitoring biodiversity around the world. In addition, BSU scientists provide important expertise on behalf of the USGS to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), a standard for scientific nomenclature adopted by the Federal government.
Through a Memorandum of Understanding, the BSU and the NMNH cooperate in areas of mutual interest and concern in research, collection care, and information management. The BSU shares laboratory facilities and research tools with the NMNH and both parties jointly develop policies established to benefit the care and use of the collections and associated data. The BSU has curatorial responsibility for approximately 1,000,000 scientific specimens of North American amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals that are used by a broad spectrum of investigators concerned with topics of international, national, and regional scopes. North America as used herein includes all the North American Continent extending from the Panamanian/Colombian border to the North Pole, Hawaii, the Bahamas, and the West Indies. In addition to the collection-based research, primary staff responsibilities include caring for and managing the collections and associated records, curating selected segments of the collections, collecting and processing new materials for addition to the collections, making identifications, assisting visitors in the use of collection resources, transacting loans of study specimens, processing requests for information about specimens and their associated data, and answering questions from the public about amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Did you know USGS had a Natural History museum team?We inventory life: The BSU has produced 6 landmark methods & identification guides used by wildlife managers worldwide.We curate North American collections: USGS curates 1.02 million specimens. These collections continue to grow!We do core research:Our group produced 121 publications in the past 7 years.(Public domain.) - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Amphibian & Reptile Collections
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...Bird Collections
The collection of North American birds housed in the National Museum of Natural History is one of outstanding quality. It totals about 370,000 specimens, including approximately 222,000 skins, 31,000 skeletons, 13,000 fluid-preserved, and about 26,500 egg sets and nests. Of the 3,949 specimens in the type collection, 2,120 specimens are holotypes of North American taxa. A major portion of the... - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 37Spatial organization of the gastrointestinal microbiota in urban Canada geese
Recent reviews identified the reliance on fecal or cloacal samples as a significant limitation hindering our understanding of the avian gastrointestinal (gut) microbiota and its function. We investigated the microbiota of the esophagus, duodenum, cecum, and colon of a wild urban population of Canada goose (Branta canadensis). From a population sample of 30 individuals, we sequenced the V4 region oMolecular systematics and biodiversity of the Cryptotis mexicanus group (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae): two new species from Honduras supported
Small-eared shrews of the genus Cryptotis (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) are widespread in the northern Neotropics. Systematic studies of these shrews over the past two decades have revealed previously undocumented morphological and species diversity, resulting in a quadrupling of the number of recognized species. Unfortunately, a small proportion of the species in the genus have been includeDiadophis Puntatus Puntatus (Southern Ring-neck Snake) Predation
DIADOPHIS PUNCTATUS PUNCTATUS (Southern Ring-necked Snake). PREDATION. Here I present the first record of Buteo lineatus (Red-shouldered Hawk) predator on a Diadophis p. punctatus. At ca. 1100h on l2 February2 013,I observed a B. lineatus eating a katydid in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (26.2730'N, 81.6079"W;WGS 84), Collier Co., Florida, USA. The hawk was in a Pond Cypress tree on the edge of a smalPranked by Audubon: Constantine S. Rafinesque's description of John James Audubon's imaginary Kentucky mammals
The North American naturalist Constantine S. Rafinesque spent much of the year 1818 engaged in a solo journey down the Ohio River Valley to explore parts of what was then the western United States. Along the way, he visited a number of fellow naturalists, and he spent more than a week at the Henderson, Kentucky, home of artist and ornithologist John James Audubon. During the succeeding two years,A replacement name for Asthenes wyatti perijanus Phelps 1977
A recent near-complete phylogeny of the avian family Furnariidae (Derryberry et al. 2011) found a number of discrepancies between the phylogeny and the then-current taxonomy of the group, and several changes were proposed to reconcile the taxonomy of the family with the phylogeny. Among these was the merging of the genus Schizoeaca Cabanis 1873 into Asthenes Reichenbach 1853 (Derryberry et al. 201Taxonomic revision of Phascogale tapoatafa (Meyer, 1793) (Dasyuridae; Marsupialia), including descriptions of two new subspecies and confirmation of P. pirata Thomas, 1904 as a ‘Top End’ endemic
The Australian Brush-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa sensu lato) has a broad but highly fragmented distribution around the periphery of the Australian continent and all populations are under significant ongoing threat to survival. A new appraisal of morphological and molecular diversity within the group reveals that the population in the ‘Top End’ of the Northern Territory is specificallyA further note on the scientific name of Bullocks’ Oriole
Chesser (2013) intended to introduce a justified emendation to Icterus bullockii under Article 32.5.1 of the Code (ICZN 1999), because the name honors both William Bullock, Sr., and William Bullock, Jr. However, the correction bullockorum is "incorrect" and therefore is an unjustified emendation (Article 33.2.3). Under the assumption that the name Bullock was latinized (cf. Article 31.1.1) to BullA new species of Cryptotis (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) from the Sierra de Perijá, Venezuelan-Colombian Andes
The Sierra de Perijá is the northern extension of the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes and includes part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The population of small-eared shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae, Cryptotis) inhabiting the Sierra de Perijá previously was known from only a single skull from an individual collected in Colombia in 1989. This specimen had been referred to alFunctional skeletal morphology and its implications for locomotory behavior among three genera of myosoricine shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Myosoricinae is a small clade of shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) that is currently restricted to the African continent. Individual species have limited distributions that are often associated with higher elevations. Although the majority of species in the subfamily are considered ambulatory in their locomotory behavior, species of the myosoricine genus Surdisorex are known to be semifosWho invented the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)? On the authorship of the fraudulent 1812 journal of Charles Le Raye
The captivity journal of Charles Le Raye was first published in 1812 as a chapter in A topographical description of the state of Ohio, Indiana Territory, and Louisiana, a volume authored anonymously by a late officer in the U. S. Army. Le Raye was purported to be a French Canadian fur trader who, as a captive of the Sioux, had travelled across broad portions of the Missouri and Yellowstone river dVariation in the myosoricine hand skeleton and its implications for locomotory behavior (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Substrate use and locomotory behavior of mammals are typically reflected in external characteristics of the forefeet, such as the relative proportions of the digits and claws. Although skeletal anatomy of the forefeet can be more informative than external characters, skeletons remain rare in systematic collections. This is particularly true for the Myosoricinae (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), a small cComment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): request for confirmation of availability of the generic name and for the nomenclatural validation of the journal in which it was published (Case 3601; BZN 70:234–237; 71:30–38; 13
In Case 3601 Raymond Hoser has asked the Commission to validate for the purposes of nomenclature the name Spracklandus Hoser, 2009, and ‘the journal in which it was published,’ issue 7 of the Australasian Journal of Herpetology (AJH). We note that the entire run of AJH has been written, edited, and published solely by Hoser. Although his requests to the Commission were presented as narrow and, in - News
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Filter Total Items: 13