In taxonomy "type" specimens uniquely represent and link scientific names to their species. Accurate taxonomic research and descriptions of new species require knowledge of previously described species based on type specimens. This project will produce high-resolution digital images and X-Rays of nearly 2,800 type specimens of fishes in the research collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (ANSP). ANSP ranks second in North America in the number of fish types and taxonomic representation: 1,825 nominal species in 42 orders from all over the world. The images and X-Rays will be freely and rapidly available for scientific and not-for-profit educational uses through the ANSP collections Website.
Taxonomists increasingly confront impediments to direct access to type specimens: rising travel costs to museums and added restrictions on lending and shipping alcohol preserved specimens. High-resolution images often provide to researchers sufficient information about diagnostic and other characters to obviate the need for direct examination of specimens. High quality images can be used as illustrations in publications. The images will also serve as a backup in the event of future loss of specimens. Thus, images of the ANSP fish type specimens will be a broadly useful, timely and permanent research resource in systematic ichthyology.
Intellectual merit. In biological taxonomy, every animal and plant species is given an official scientific name that is formally attached by international rules of nomenclature to a real specimen - a type specimen. Type specimens anchor scientific names to the diagnostic characteristics of their species and provide a first record of species occurrences in place and time. With rare exceptions types are physical specimens kept in museum research collections. Accurate and precise advances in taxonomic classifications and descriptions of newly discovered species require knowledge of previously described species based on type specimens. Taxonomists face impediments to direct access to type specimens for study such as increasing costs of travel to museums and increasing restrictions on lending and shipping valuable and often delicate type specimens. Nowadays, however, high-resolution digital images can often provide taxonomists with sufficient information about species characters to reduce the need for direct examination of the types. Thereby, digital imaging technology advances the pace of documenting biodiversity discovery and knowledge dissemination. The fish collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences (ANSP) ranks second in North America in the number of type specimens and nominal fish species represented by type specimens. This project has produced high-resolution digital images of 1,302 nominal fish species in the ANSP collection with 3,503 photographs of external morphology and 1,442 radiographs of internal skeletons. These images of ANSP fish type specimens are now a widely used, timely and permanent research resource in systematic ichthyology. These photographs and radiographs are freely and rapidly available for scientific and not-for-profit educational uses through a recently upgraded collection database and Website: http://data.acnatsci.org/biodiversity_databases/fish.php. The international community of ichthyologists is using the web-served images and associated specimen collection data. This website also offers an on-line guide to digital imaging of fishes. Electronic copies these images are also available on request as email attachments, on CD or DVD, or as print copies. Several of these images have already been used to illustrate in print and electronic research publications and many others will no doubt be used in future publications. The type images also serve as a backup in the event of future loss of specimens. Broader impacts. Two curatorial assistants hired for this project and four museum volunteers were trained in photographic imaging, image processing and informatics skills and they gained curatorial experience. One curatorial assistant and one volunteer subsequently entered graduate school in biology. One volunteer is a retired senior citizen who enjoys museum work and another volunteer recently received a masters degree in paleontology and sought additional technical training in this project. Two of our trainees are actively pursue side interests in biological illustration. The images of fish type specimens are rich in anatomical detail and many are highly attractive or eye-catching. Accordingly, examples of the type images have been featured in a 2010 exhibit in the Academy’s public museum, and in two popular news articles published in magazines of the Academy members and Drexel University. The historical and human-interest qualities of the fish types inspired a relative of former Ichthyology Curator Henry Weed Fowler (1878-1965) to donate support for additional digital imaging of Fowler specimens.
