ICHTHYOLOGY

Ichthyology Collections

Clear sample jars arranged in a row, each containing preserved fish specimens

Collection Highlights

The Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates maintains a large collection of fishes. Materials housed here are from around the globe and right here at home. The bulk of the CUMV collection is strongly representative of freshwater fishes from eastern North America and has formed the basis for numerous systematic works on the North American fish fauna. Much of the material is in large geographic series, and many sites have been sampled repeatedly through extended periods of time.

Fluid Specimens

A whole preserved fish on a white background

Nearly 1.3 million individual cataloged specimens in more than 91,000 cataloged lots are housed at CUMV. These materials represent 4216 species, from 1740 genera, and 395 families. Specimens are housed in glass jars ranging in size from 4 ounces to 5 gallons and some materials also reside in 27 stainless steel tanks roughly the size of foot lockers. Specimens are housed in either 70% Ethanol or 50% Isopropanol.

Cleared & Stained

The cleared and stained materials housed at CUMV contains over 3,800 specimens. Some earlier specimens are stained solely with Alizirin Red for bones (shown in red) while newer specimens are also stained with Alcian Blue (for cartilages). One protocol for preparing cleared and stained specimens originated at Cornell in the 1970’s. and has provided the scientific community a tool that is immeasurable in value.

Hybrid Fishes

Close-up of a sample jar with a label explaining the. contents in detail

The CUMV Fishes type collection contains 79 Holotypes, 3 Neotypes and more than 500 other types; mostly Paratypes. These irreplaceable specimens help the world understand the diversity of life that exists around us and is used for comparison when a potentially new species is discovered.

Sound & Signal

Communication is ubiquitous throughout animals and is manifest in various forms. A specialty collection of CUMV includes signaling information, especially in the form of electrical signal. In collaboration with Macaulay Library the Electric Organ Discharges (EOD’s for short) from fishes in the African family Mormyridae are housed as both specimens and as a signal for communication. Linking signals, and in the case the EOD’s, an electric signal from each individual that has been collected, cataloged, and resides permanently in our collection provides an even greater level of intrinsic value to the CUMV’s library of biodiversity across space and through time.

Skeletal Materials

Fish skeletons lying on a black background

Our skeletal collection is represented by nearly 1400 specimens which cover the expanse of diversity in jawed vertebrates with fins from elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) to tetradontiforms. Our dermestid beetle colony is constantly at work to grow this invaluable collection.

Type Collections

Sample jar with writing that explains the contents of the jar

Tissues

A rack of sample tubes arranged in rows with one tube on top showing the label

The CUMV tissue repository houses more than 6000 fish tissues. Materials are held in either 95% ethanol or DMSO/EDTA and maintained at -20 or -80 degrees C. We typically do not take tissue vouchers without a physical specimen. DNA analyses are always more robust when a phenotype exists for examination.