ZFMK Herpetology collection

The herpetological collection houses more than 100,000 catalogued specimens. Amphibians and reptiles are traditionally combined in the collection, with the latter making up nearly two thirds of the total specimens. The collection includes type specimens of around 650 taxa, among them more than 300 primary types (i.e. holotypes, lectotypes, and neotypes) and 100 syntypes that objectively define a scientific name and are literally irreplaceable. The majority of specimens is wet material preserved in ethanol, but the collection also includes osteological specimens and (sub-)fossils. These figures make the herpetological collection at the ZFMK one of the largest of its kind in Germany and also one of international importance. Correspondingly to their high species diversity, frogs and squamates (lizards and snakes) represent the majority of species. However, members of all major groups of amphibians (salamanders and caecilians) and reptiles (crocodiles, turtles, and tuataras) are found in the collection. There is no explicit geographic focus and specimens are originating not only from Europe, but from more than 200 countries worldwide. Due to the research focus of past curators and students, the ZFMK holds remarkable collections from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Africa, Madagascar, and Brazil. Recent geographical focuses are Southeast Asia, Peru, and the western Palearctic.

该两栖爬行动物学标本馆藏（herpetological collection）藏有逾10万件已编目标本。该馆藏传统上将两栖类与爬行类合并收纳，其中爬行类占总标本量的近三分之二。馆藏包含约650个分类单元（taxa）的模式标本（type specimens），其中包括300余件正模标本（holotypes）、选模标本（lectotypes）与新模标本（neotypes），以及100件同模标本（syntypes）——此类标本可客观界定物种学名，具备无可替代的学术价值。绝大多数标本为乙醇浸泡保存的浸制标本，馆藏同时收纳骨骼标本与（亚）化石标本。上述规模使得ZFMK的两栖爬行动物学标本馆藏跻身德国同类馆藏前列，同时兼具国际影响力。

鉴于馆藏内两栖爬行动物的物种多样性极高，蛙类与有鳞类（squamates，蜥蜴与蛇类）构成了馆藏物种的主体。但馆藏同时覆盖两栖类与爬行类的所有主要类群：两栖类涵盖蝾螈与蚓螈，爬行类则包括鳄类、龟类与喙头蜥。

该馆藏并无明确的地理采集偏向，标本来源不仅覆盖欧洲，更遍及全球200余个国家和地区。得益于历任馆长与研究人员的研究方向，ZFMK馆藏拥有来自地中海、中东、非洲、马达加斯加与巴西的珍贵标本。其当前的重点采集区域为东南亚、秘鲁与古北界（Palearctic）西部。