Glossary of terms
The usage of some terms in these pages may not be immediately obvious to all users. In the online Tissue Collection Database, the following definitions are implied:
Voucher
An individual animal, part of an animal, or lot of specimens held in the Australian Museum collections. Associated with a voucher specimen are collection data, which detail the taxonomy, date and locality of collection, habitat, the collector and other relevant curatorial details.
Field Number
A temporary identification number allocated in the field, which is later replaced by an AMS Registration Number.
Query Form
EBU Number
The EBU Number uniquely identifies each tissue sample or lot. One specimen may have various samples taken, for example, R153991, a Leatherback Turtle, has four muscle samples in the collection, two of which are frozen (EBU 8004, EBU 8005 and two stored in ethanol (EBU 32724, EBU 32725). Use this number to request a particular tissue, or in publications to refer to individual tissue samples.
AMS Reg Number
The AMS Registration Number uniquely identifies an individual voucher or lot. The letter prefix denotes the originating collection: M - Mammalogy Collection; I - Ichthyology Collection; R - Herpetology Collection; O - Ornithology Collection or C - Malacology Collection, and various others. Use this number when referring to voucher specimens in publications.
Tube Marking
The Tube Marking refers to any identifying markings on a cryovial or other collection vessel. Most often this is the field number, but it can also be a taxonomic identification, or in the case of the Herpetology or Ichthyology Collections, a "freezer number", which may appear in publications referring to these samples, eg NR4556 or NI1443.
Results Page
Identification accuracy
This field denotes the confidence of taxonomic identification. It is graded as follows: 1 - Expert in the field, 2 - ID by someone other than an expert, N - accuracy not rated or X - no voucher available. The Manager of the originating collection assigns these values.
Type status
Where this field is not blank, the voucher from which the sample is taken is a nominated type specimen. See the page "Types of Types" on the Fish website for more information on types.
Voucher form
Identifies the method of preservation or condition of the voucher specimen, if one is available. For example, it may indicate that only a skull is available, or that the whole animal is fixed in formalin.
Conservation status
Conservation status refers to the appearance of a taxon on Australian and international conservation lists. The first letter denotes the list: C - CITES, E - Australian Federal (EPBP Act), or T - NSW (TSC Act). The numerical component refers to the schedule of the list in which the taxon appears: 1 - Endangered or 2 - Vulnerable. Import and/or export restrictions may apply to these samples.
Specimen type
This field refers to the type of tissue or sample that has been collected. Some common examples include Liver, Muscle, DNA, etc.
Preservation method
This field refers to the method by which the sample is preserved. The majority of samples are frozen at -80°C ("Frozen"), but 95% ethanol ("EtOH") is also common.
If you have further queries about this database, please contact the Collection Manager.
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