TNHC Herpetology Collection

The Herpetology Division and its collection of amphibians and reptiles is one of the research units of the Texas Natural History Collections (TNHC) in the Texas Natural Science Center (TNSC) at The University of Texas at Austin. The collection consists of 85,000 cataloged specimens, including skeletons and larvae. The collection contains 2061 species from 808 genera (95 families). It is one of the largest regional collections in the southwestern United States, and also has significant holdings from Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The collection is particularly strong in frogs; for example, the worldwide representation of toads (Bufo) compares favorably with collections such as the Smithsonian Institution. For its size, the collection is also very strong in phrynosomatid lizards and hemidactyline salamanders. The TNHC is modestly comprehensive, incorporating all major groups of amphibians and reptiles but lacking numerous families (non North-American taxa). The major strengths of the collection to date fall into five categories: 1) extensive series from certain parts of the U.S. (e.g., Pseudacris, hemidactyline salamanders), 2) substantial worldwide collections of the genus Bufo, 3) certain historically important and likely irreplaceable specimens (e.g., Blanco Blind Salamander [Eurycea robusta]), 4) deep and dense chronological representation, especially from central Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and 5) over 650 open reel analog tap recordings of frog calls recorded in the field between 1950 and 1983 from various locations around the world. Our Texas holdings comprise 56% of the total collection, from 247 of the 254 Texas counties. We have holdings from 47 other U.S. states (only missing specimens from Maine and Rhode Island) as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Worldwide, we have herpetological holdings from 85 additional countries, including substantial collections from Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Holdings of extinct or extirpated species include Bufo periglenes and specimens of Opheodrys vernalis collected from Texas populations. Thirty-seven species in the TNHC are stated listed as threatened or endangered, and 18 are federally listed as threatened or endangered. The skeletal collection consists of both dry, and cleared & stained skeletal preparations. There are just under 1000 dry skeletal specimens (mostly Bufonidae) and over 1200 cleared and stained specimens. The earliest cataloged herpetology specimens date from 1939 (specimens received in exchange from the University of Florida), with a handful of specimens collected in the early to mid 1940’s. Initial collection growth coincided with the large-scale trips organized by Blair between 1949-1955 to west Texas and the Panhandle, as well as many local and regional (particularly east Texas) collecting trips by Blair and his students; Blair was hired in 1946, became Professor in 1955 and Emeritus Professor in 1982, passing away on 09 February 1984. Large and consistent growth to the collections continued through the mid 1970’s through the work of by Blair and his large number of students. Blair’s contributions to science include five books (three with sole authorship), 148 papers (119 had sole authorship), supervised 100 Dissertations and Theses. Collection growth waned for a decade but again increased following the hiring of a curator of herpetology, David Cannatella, in 1990. In 2000, the TNHC received 18,000 specimens from the TTU herpetology collection, representing the largest collection of herpetological specimens from the Texas Panhandle. Although this was the single largest separate herpetology collection accessioned by the TNHC, other smaller collections have been acquired, including a collection of 199 specimens from Dr. Norman Richard of Brownsville TX and 890 specimens donated by Dr. Thomas Scanlon, formerly at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The collection contains 496 type specimens (18 primary and 478 secondary) of 37 taxa. All types are stored in 70% non-denatured ethanol, save two prepared as dry skeletons and seven prepared as cleared and stained specimens. Curators Cannatella and LaDuc and UT graduate students continue to add important material to the collections, most recently from the U.S., Southeast Asia, and Central and South America.德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校德克萨斯自然科学中心（Texas Natural Science Center, TNSC）下属的德克萨斯自然历史馆藏（Texas Natural History Collections, TNHC）下辖两爬学研究部（Herpetology Division）及其两栖类与爬行类标本馆藏，是该中心的核心研究单元之一。该馆藏共计收录85000件已编目标本，涵盖骨骼标本与幼体标本，隶属于95个科、808个属下的2061个物种。它是美国西南部规模最大的区域性两爬类标本馆藏之一，同时亦拥有大量来自墨西哥、中美洲、南美洲、非洲及东南亚的馆藏标本。 该馆藏在蛙类标本方面尤为突出：例如其蟾蜍属（Bufo）标本的全球馆藏规模，可与史密森学会（Smithsonian Institution）的同类馆藏相媲美。就馆藏整体规模而言，它在角蜥科（Phrynosomatidae）蜥蜴及无肺螈亚科（Hemidactyline）蝾螈类标本方面同样实力强劲。TNHC的馆藏范围相对全面，囊括了两栖类与爬行类的所有主要类群，但仍缺失大量非北美本土类群的科。 截至目前，该馆藏的核心优势可归纳为五大类：1. 美国部分地区的大量系列标本（如雨蛙属（Pseudacris）物种、无肺螈亚科蝾螈）；2. 蟾蜍属（Bufo）的全球规模馆藏；3. 一批具有重要历史价值且大概率不可复刻的标本（如布兰科盲螈（Eurycea robusta））；4. 详尽且密集的年代序列标本，尤以德克萨斯中部与德克萨斯潘汉德尔地区的标本为甚；5. 1950年至1983年间于全球多地野外录制的超过650卷蛙类鸣声开盘模拟磁带录音。 本馆藏中德克萨斯本地标本占总馆藏的56%，覆盖德克萨斯州254个县中的247个。馆藏还涵盖美国其余47个州（仅缺失缅因州与罗德岛州的标本），以及关岛、波多黎各与美属维尔京群岛。全球范围内，馆藏覆盖了另外85个国家的两爬类标本，其中中美洲、南美洲、非洲及东南亚的馆藏规模尤为可观。 已灭绝或区域性灭绝物种的馆藏包括金蟾蜍（Bufo periglenes）以及取自德克萨斯种群的绿锦蛇（Opheodrys vernalis）标本。TNHC馆藏中有37个物种被列为受威胁或濒危物种，其中18个为联邦级受威胁/濒危物种。 骨骼馆藏包含干燥骨骼标本以及透明染色骨骼标本两类：现有近1000件干燥骨骼标本（以蟾蜍科（Bufonidae）标本为主），以及超过1200件透明染色骨骼标本。馆藏中最早的编目两爬类标本可追溯至1939年（由佛罗里达大学交换获得的标本），另有少量采集于1940年代早中期的标本。 馆藏的早期大规模增长，与布莱尔（Blair）于1949年至1955年间组织的西得克萨斯与潘汉德尔地区大型野外考察，以及布莱尔与其学生开展的大量本地及区域性（尤以东得克萨斯为甚）标本采集活动密不可分。布莱尔于1946年入职该机构，1955年升任教授，1982年成为荣誉教授，最终于1984年2月9日逝世。在布莱尔及其众多学生的推动下，馆藏持续保持大规模稳定增长直至1970年代中期。布莱尔在科研领域贡献颇丰：出版专著5部（其中3部为独著），发表论文148篇（其中119篇为独著），指导了100篇学位论文与毕业论文。此后馆藏增长停滞了十年，直至1990年两爬学策展人大卫·卡纳泰拉（David Cannatella）入职后，馆藏增长才再度恢复。 2000年，TNHC接收了来自德克萨斯理工大学（Texas Tech University, TTU）两爬类馆藏的18000件标本，该批标本是德克萨斯潘汉德尔地区规模最大的两爬类标本馆藏，亦是TNHC单次接收的规模最大的独立两爬类标本馆藏。除此之外，TNHC还接收了多批规模较小的馆藏，例如来自得克萨斯州布朗斯维尔市的诺曼·理查德（Norman Richard）博士的199件标本，以及前密苏里大学哥伦比亚分校的托马斯·斯坎伦（Thomas Scanlon）博士捐赠的890件标本。 该馆藏目前拥有37个分类群的496件模式标本（其中18件为正模标本，478件为副模标本）。所有模式标本均保存于70%的非变性乙醇中，仅2件制备为干燥骨骼标本，7件制备为透明染色标本。现任策展人卡纳泰拉与拉杜克（Cannatella和LaDuc）以及德克萨斯大学的研究生仍在持续为馆藏补充重要标本，近期的标本来源包括美国、东南亚以及中美洲与南美洲。