Frequently Asked Questions
Why keep old specimens?
The oldest fish in the Australian Museum Collection, an Orangeband Surgeonfish Acanthurus olivaceus, collected in 1858 in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu). Registration No. AMS IB. 6315. View larger image.
The Australian Museum Fish Collection is over 100 years old, with the oldest fish in the collection dating back to 1854. It is an Orangeband Surgeonfish Acanthurus olivaceus collected in Vanuatu by naturalist John MacGillivray.
With large collections occupying expensive storage space, it has been suggested that the collection should be culled of old, redundant or unnecessary specimens. That task is not as easy as it sounds. For each species a core number of individuals is required, plus all the extremes of size, development, distribution and even time. To determine which specimens could be culled is very labour intensive. While all the basic data for the entire fish collection is recorded in databases, we are some time away from compiling the publication record for each specimen. The many problems associated with removing and destroying "unnecessary" old specimens from collections will not be easily solved in the near future. In fact the oldest specimens may be the most valuable for some studies.
Old museum records provide baseline data about the past species composition of a region. These data can be particularly useful when examining newly degraded habitats. There is even the potential to use museum specimens of extinct species like the Thylacine (the Tasmanian Tiger) in research that may one day see this species live again.
The value of retaining old specimens is clearly demonstrated by the work of Dr. C. Ferraris of the California Academy of Sciences, who visited the Australian Museum Fish Section in May-June 1999. In his three weeks of research, supported by a Visiting Scientists (Collections) grant, Dr Ferraris worked on the historic collections made by Dr Francis Day during many years of field work in India and the surrounding region during the 1860s, 70s and 80s. Until Dr Ferraris' visit, the collection was believed to contain 102 of Day's type species. By detailed research with old records and old specimens, Dr Ferraris "uncovered" an additional 57 of Day's type species in the Fish Collection, increasing the size of the known Day type collection at the Australian Museum by over fifty percent. These scientifically priceless specimens are now housed in the type collection and are available for research.
Clearly the collections are for long term use, not to be "improved" with periodic clean outs or garage sales.
Further reading
- Paxton, J.R. & M. McGrouther. 1991. Why so many specimens? Muse (Australian Museum News & Events) Aug -Sept. 1991:4, 11, 2 figs.
- Whitehead, P.J.P. & P.K. Talwar, 1976. Francis Day (1829-1889) and his collections of Indian Fishes. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Historical Series 5(1): 1-189, pls. 1-4.
