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Making the mammalogy collection at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe accessible through GBIF by end of 2017 (BID-AF2015-0117-SMA).

Citation

Maponga T (2018). Making the mammalogy collection at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe accessible through GBIF by end of 2017 (BID-AF2015-0117-SMA).. Version 1.10. Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/zajsed accessed via GBIF.org on 2022-07-07.

Description

Mammalian population numbers have been reducing due to a wide variety of factors i.e. human invasions into protected areas; over utilisation through both legal and illegal hunting, and conversion of habitats. However, historical populations and occurrences of these species has not been readily available and possibly use of the historical information that is locked in the museums has been neglected particularly due lack of knowledge of what resources are there or due to the formats in which they are available (analogue). Therefore, our goal was to make the mammalogy collection at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe accessible through GBIF by end of 2017. Availability of this data online would make it easier for individuals, who may not have direct access to the collection to have access. Generally, the mammalogy department has a valuable historic record of mammal biodiversity from locations that are not only from Zimbabwe but also from around the world, predominantly in Southern Africa. These records were not easily available as most were still in analogue format. Therefore, this project aimed to collate and digitize the biodiversity data from the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe targeting 11 000 specimen records. The overall aim was to produce a checklist which could be used by the public, scientists, and policy makers, so that they integrate information in their research and into policy making processes. The checklist dataset has therefore, been compiled and it includes some of the mammal species records that are found in our main mammalogy storeroom. 11 000 specimen records were digitised. From the 11 000 specimens 122 species and 23 families were generated and this is what our checklist provides. These species range from small-medium sized carnivores, rodents, primates, and bats. Most of them were collected from Southern Africa, i.e. Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia. However, the initial focus was to provide data from protected areas from Zimbabwe, particularly Matopos National Park, however, in going through the collection it proved to be difficult to segregate Zimbabwe from the rest of the countries during the inventory and digitisation. Therefore, we provide information that covers protected areas in the specified countries, though Zimbabwe constitutes 54% of the 11000 dataset and about 400 specimens where from in or around Matopos.

Purpose

The goal was to make the mammalogy collection at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe accessible through GBIF by end of 2017. Availability of this data online would make it easier for researchers who may not have direct access to the collection. The overall aim being to increase the use of historical data particularly in conservation policies and frameworks.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

The checklist includes 11000 specimens that were collected predominantly from Southern African countries, and these countries include Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia. These were collected between 1901 and early 2000. some of the data was collected through exhibitions such as Botswana mammal survey, Matopos mammal surveys and school expiditions which included Peterhouse and Falcon College from Zimbabwe.

Sampling

Data was collected from specimen labels during an inventory. This was digitised electronically onto excel. Softwares such as Geolocate (localities), Catalogue of life (taxonomy) and Open refine (data cleaning) were used in documenting the data.

Quality Control

GBIF name-parser was used to cross check the taxonomy and to rank the species. Data was also cleaned through Open refine. Uncertainties obtained from geolocating an area were also included in the worksheet.

Method steps

  1. Accession numbers were collected from skins and skulls found in the Mammalogy main storeroom. This was done during an inventory exercise from the period of May 2016 to March 2017. 2. The accessioned specimens were corresponded to the mammal information sheets and registers. These contained information such as sex, morphological measurements, locality, habitat, stomach contents, and general notes. 3. These were then documented into an excel spreadsheet and this was termed the electronic documentation. 4. During electronic documentation, localities were georeferenced using Geolocate and the taxonomy crosschecked through catalogue of life, IUCN, and GBIF name parser. 5. After electronic documentation was completed data was cleaned using excel filters and open refine was also used. 6. The data was then transferred into the specify software. 7. Then the species checklist was generated from the 11000 specimens that had been electronically documented. 8. Registration as a publishing institution was also done via GBIF and data was published.

Taxonomic Coverages

The checklist has 122 species from 23 families. These range from small-medium sized carnivores, rodents, primates and bats.
  1. Anomalurus derbianus (Gray, 1842)
  2. Otocyon megalotis (Desmarest, 1822)
  3. Canis adustus, Sundevall, 1847
  4. Canis mesomelas Schreber, 1775
  5. Vulpes chama (A. Smith, 1833)
  6. Chlorocebus pygerythrus (F. Cuvier, 1821)
  7. Cercopithecus mitis Wolf, 1822
  8. Cercopithecus mitis moloneyi Sclater, 1893
  9. Cercopithecus mitis opisthostictus Sclater, 1894
  10. Cercopithecus albogularis (Sykes, 1831)
  11. Cercopithecus mitis ssp. erythrarchus
  12. Cercopithecus mitis ssp. francescae Thomas, 1902
  13. Cercopithecus nictitans (Linnaeus, 1766)
  14. Cercopithecus ascanius katangae, Lonnberg, 1919 (Linnaeus, 1766)
  15. Colobus polykomos sharpei(E.A.W. Zimmermann, 1780)
  16. Taphozous mauritianus É. Geoffroy, 1818
  17. Taphozous perforatus É. Geoffroy, 1818
  18. Felis nigripes (Burchell, 1824)
  19. Felis silvestris lybica Forster, 1780
  20. Caracal caracal (Schreber, 1776)
  21. Leptailurus serval (Schreber, 1776)
  22. Otolemur crassicaudatus (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1812)
  23. Galago moholi A. Smith, 1836
  24. Galagoides granti (Thomas and Wroughton, 1907)
  25. Cynictis penicillata (G.[Baron] Cuvier, 1829)
  26. Atilax paludinosus (G.[Baron] Cuvier, 1829)
  27. Herpestes sanguineus (Rüppell, 1835)
  28. Helogale parvula (Sundevall, 1847)
  29. Herpestes ichneumon (Linnaeus, 1758)
  30. Ichneumia albicauda (G.[Baron] Cuvier, 1829)
  31. Rhynchogale melleri (Gray, 1865)
  32. Hipposideros commersoni (É. Geoffroy, 1813)
  33. Proteles cristata (Sparrman, 1783)
  34. Lepus saxatilis F. Cuvier, 1823
  35. Lepus capensis Linnaeus, 1758
  36. Lepus victoriae Thomas, 1893
  37. Pronolagus crassicaudatus (I. Geoffroy, 1832)
  38. Pronolagus randensis Jameson, 1907
  39. Pronolagus rupestris (A. Smith, 1834)
  40. Miniopterus inflatus Thomas, 1903
  41. Miniopterus schrebesii (Kuhl, 1817)
  42. Otomops martiensseni (Matschie, 1897)
  43. Tadarida aegyptiaca (É. Geoffroy, 1818)
  44. Chaerephon ansorgei (Thomas, 1913)
  45. Chaerephon bivittatus (Heuglin, 1861)
  46. Chaerephon chapini J.A. Allen, 1917
  47. Tadarida fulminans (Thomas, 1903)
  48. Tadarida lobata (Thomas, 1891)
  49. Mops midas (Sundevall, 1843)
  50. Chaerephon nigeriae Thomas, 1913
  51. Chaerephon pumilus (Cretzschmar, 1826)
  52. Tadarida ventralis (Heuglin, 1861)
  53. Mus Nannomys minutoides A. Smith, 1834
  54. Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758
  55. Hydrictis maculicollis (Lichtenstein, 1835)
  56. Aonyx capensis (Schinz, 1821)
  57. Ictonyx striatus (Perry, 1810)
  58. Mellivora capensis (Schreber, 1776)
  59. Mustela putorius Linnaeus, 1758
  60. Poecilogale albinucha (Gray, 1864)
  61. Nandinia binotata (Gray, 1830)
  62. Nycteris grandis Peters, 1865
  63. Nycteris hispida (Schreber, 1775)
  64. Nycteris macrotis Dobson, 1876
  65. Nycteris thebaica É. Geoffroy, 1818
  66. Nycteris woodi, K. Andersen, 1914
  67. Pedetes capensis (Forster, 1778)
  68. Procavia capensis (Pallas, 1766)
  69. Heterohyrax brucei (Gray, 1868)
  70. Dendrohyrax arboreus (A. Smith, 1827)
  71. Eidolon helvum (Kerr, 1792)
  72. Epomophorus crypturus Peters, 1852
  73. Epomops dobsonii (Bocage, 1899)
  74. Rousettus angolensis (Bocage, 1898)
  75. Rousettus aegyptiacus (E. Geoffroy, 1810)
  76. Lissonycteris angolensis goliathi
  77. Sauromys petrophilus (Roberts, 1917)
  78. Rhinolophus blasii Peters, 1867
  79. Rhinolophus clivosus Cretzschmar, 1828
  80. Rhinolophus darlingi K. Andersen, 1905
  81. Rhinolophus denti Thomas, 1904
  82. Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774)
  83. Rhinolophus fumigatus Rüppell, 1842
  84. Rhinolophus hildebrandtii Peters, 1878
  85. Rhinolophus landeri Martin, 1838
  86. Rhinolophus simulator K. Andersen, 1904
  87. Rhinolophus swinnyi Gough, 1908
  88. Paraxerus boehmi
  89. Paraxerus cepapi (A. Smith, 1836)
  90. Funisciurus congicus (Kuhl, 1820)
  91. Funisciurus isabella (Gray, 1862)
  92. Heliosciurus gambianus (Ogilby, 1835)
  93. Heliosciurus mutabilis (Peters, 1852)
  94. Heliosciurus rufobrachium (Waterhouse, 1842)
  95. Xerus inauris (Zimmermann, 1780)
  96. Eptesicus hottentotus (A. Smith, 1833)
  97. Glauconycteris variegata (Tomes, 1861)
  98. Kerivoula argentata Tomes, 1861
  99. Myotis welwitschii (Gray, 1866)
  100. Myotis tricolor (Temminck, 1832)
  101. Myotis bocagei (Pcten, 1870)
  102. Pipistrellus anchietae (Seabra, 1900)
  103. Neoromicia capensis (A. Smith, 1829)
  104. Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1817)
  105. Pipistrellus rueppellii (Fischer, 1829)
  106. Pipistrellus rusticus (Tomes, 1861)
  107. Nycticeinops schlieffeni (Peters, 1859)
  108. Neoromicia somalica (Thomas, 1901)
  109. Scotophilus dinganii (A. Smith, 1833)
  110. Scotophilus viridis (Peters, 1852)
  111. Herpestes sanguineus (Rüppell, 1835)
  112. Civettictis civetta (Schreber, 1776)
  113. Genetta genetta (Linnaeus, 1758)
  114. Genetta tigrina (Schreber, 1776)
  115. Epomophorus wahlbergi (Sundevall, 1846)
  116. Nandinia binotata (Gray, 1830)
  117. Neoromicia nana (Peters, 1852)
  118. Palliatus sponsus (Peters, 1852)

Geographic Coverages

The initial focus was on Zimbabwe particularly Matopos National Park, however, focusing on Zimbabwe alone seemed impossible during the inventory. However, we provide useful data predominantly from Southern Africa i.e. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, D.R Congo, and South Africa. Some of the specimens were collected in Angola, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Some of the data comes from important protected areas in these countries for example, Chobe, Tsau, and Maun in Botswana, Chipangali, Chipata, Solwezi Boma, Kasempa in Zambia, Hwange National Park and Matopos in Zimbabwe and Gorongosa in Mozambique.

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Tsitsi Maponga
originator
position: Assistant Curator of Mammalogy
Natural History Museum
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: tsimap@gmail.com
Tsitsi Maponga
metadata author
position: Assistant curator of Mammalogy
Natural History Museum
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: tsimap@gmail.com
Tsitsi Maponga
principal investigator
position: Assistant Curator of Mammalogy
Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: tsimap@gmail.com
Moira FitzPatrick
custodian steward
position: Regional Director
Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: natmuse@netconnect.co.zw
Tsitsi Maponga
administrative point of contact
position: Assistant Curator of Mammalogy
Natural History Museum
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: tsimap@gmail.com
Moira FitzPatrick
administrative point of contact
position: Regional Director
Natural History Museum
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: natmuse@netconnect.co.zw
Kith Mkhwananzi
administrative point of contact
position: Curatorial Assistant
Natural History Museum
Corner Park Road and Leopold Takawira Avenue, Centenary Park
Bulawayo
ZW
Telephone: 00263-9-250045
email: kithgagisa@gmail.com
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