Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

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Department of Vertebrate Zoology

Division of Amphibians & Reptiles

Oxyrhopus petola
Oxyrhopus petola Ecuador, Napo Province. Photographed by William W. Lamar
Cochranella midas
Crochranella midas Ecuador, Napo Province. Photographed by Roy McDiarmid

 

Collections by

History of Collection

The National Collection (USNM) of Amphibians and Reptiles in the Department of Zoology at the National Museum of Natural History is the largest, with over 570,000 catalogued specimens and lots, and one of the most important herpetological collections in the world.   The collection is global in scope, has extensive taxonomic coverage, and is an important repository for many thousands of type specimens, particularly of North, Central, and South American taxa.  The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles is growing rapidly, having increased 200% over the past ca. 40 years (190,000 specimen records in 1970 to over 570,000 specimen records in 2008).

Wet Snake Collection Wet Snake Collection at the NMNH Photographed by Steve Gotte.

Specimen preparations of several types are maintained in the USNM herpetological collection.  While 95% of the specimens are stored in 70% ethanol, the collection also contains dry skeletal specimens, glycerine-stored cleared and stained skeletal preparations, specimens stored in formalin (mostly amphibian larvae), and histological preparations mounted on microscope slides.  A single cataloged specimen may be a composite of more than one preparation type.

(rev. September 2007)

 

 

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