The crustaceans collection (IU) of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN - Paris)

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Description

The collection covers all groups of crustaceans (except the very rare Remipedia and Tantulocarida). Consisting of some 100 000 inventoried lots arranged in systematic order, and with about 6000 type specimens, this collection is one of the richest in the world for its diversity. The collection was established before 1800 with the collections of the explorer naturalists (voyages of Bougainville, Savigny, Dumont D'Urville ...) and then continued, notably with those of the Travailleur and the Talisman. The collection has benefited from the work of prestigious scientists like Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Latreille, H. and A. Milne-Edwards, and Chevreux. The specimens, measuring 1 mm to over 2 m in size, are mainly preserved in alcohol. Some are kept dry (old collections such as the historical collection of crabs), others as slide preparations. The collection includes worldwide material of marine, freshwater and terrestrial crustaceans (including pest species). The collection grows 1 to 1.5% per year on average, varying according to the group, thanks to numerous donations and deposits. For 25 years the "Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos" (formely MUSORSTOM) expeditions have resulted in the largest collection in the world from the deep-water (bathyal) environment.

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