University of Texas, Biodiversity Center, Ichthyology Collection (TNHCi)

Study Extent

We have no restrictions related to collection locality and accept specimens collected globally, but are primarily interested in specimens from Texas and neighboring Mexican and U.S. states. Specimens must be legally collected. No restrictions on date of collection.

Sampling

Specimens are collected by various and often undocumented means. In many cases that information, when available, is recorded in our database.

Quality Control

Each record in this dataset refers to a specimen (or specimens) and these records are thus verifiable via specimen examination and examination of original museum documentation such as field notes and original labels. Historically the collection had a single data validation step, in which the database was checked against the verbatim specimen labels. Errors have also been corrected after being pointed out by researchers using the data and specimens. Since the inception of the Fishes of Texas Project (www.fishesoftexas.org) in 2006, we have had a more systematic focus on detection of species determination and data entry errors that has led to corrections of many records.

Method steps

1. Incoming specimens are accessioned, transferred to 70% ethanol (if needed), sorted/identified to lowest possible taxonomic level (usually species), cataloged into a Specify database which assigns each lot a unique catalog number, database-generated labels are verified against original handwritten labels, and inserted into specimen jars.

The Ichthyology Collection contains 1,820 species from 806 genera in 251 families in 52 orders (following Nelson, 2006).

1. Actinopterygii
   rank: class
2. Elasmobranchii
   rank: class
3. Sarcopterygii
   rank: class
4. Cephalaspidomorphi
   rank: class

Our Texas and Gulf of Mexico holdings account for 83% of the collection, but we also have significant holdings from other parts of the United States - AK, AL, AR (475 lots), AZ, CA, CO, FL (650 lots), IL, KA, KT, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, Puerto Rico, SC, Virgin Is., WA, and WI. Twenty-six other countries are also represented, including Mexico (2,594 lots), Costa Rica (1,372 lots), Venezuela (1,969 lots) and Zambia (1,030 lots). We have georeferenced 87% of our records, with most of those not georeferenced being from outside of Texas, or we have not able to confidently apply coordinates.