[Nhcoll-l] no data specimens

[Barry OConnor]

Not skin related, but we have a lot of old, no-data insect specimens. Most
of those we keep are unique, rare or the species occur in exotic locales no
longer extant/accessible. Studying mites associated with insects, I've
found quite a few on these specimens. While I wouldn't describe anything
new from these, they do provide a source of comparative specimens of
described species. We also use these for art/scientific illustration
students.
All the best! -  Barry

On Thu, Oct 14, 2021 at 12:43 PM Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>
wrote:

> Catherine
>
>
>
>    1. There are all sorts of techniques like genetic, ectoparasite and
>    environmental work that can be done on these skins that may yield data that
>    is useful even if provenance is unknown.  I agree that you have to balance
>    this against space and resource limitations but maybe imaging and keeping
>    portions of the skins for genetic analysis would be doable if not keeping
>    the whole animal
>    2. This is a slippery slope I agree and donating these to educational
>    facilities is the way to go.  There are a myriad of these in your own and
>    area and beyond that would be grateful for the materials.  Our mission is
>    not only to serve the research community but the educational community
>    too.  There are all sorts of negative connotations regarding deaccessioning
>    to members of the general public etc. that I would deem fraught with issues
>    and would not attempt.
>
>
>
> Andy
>
>     A  :             A  :             A  :
>  }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
>     V                V                V
> Andy Bentley
> Ichthyology Collection Manager
> University of Kansas
> Biodiversity Institute
>
> Dyche Hall
> 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
> Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
> USA
>
> Tel: (785) 864-3863
> Fax: (785) 864-5335
> Email: abentley at ku.edu
>
> http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu
>
>     A  :             A  :             A  :
>  }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
>     V                V                V
>
>
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> * On Behalf Of *Catherine
> Early (she/her)
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 14, 2021 8:18 AM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
>
>
>
> Hello all,
>
>
>
> I have a two-part question today:
>
>
>
> 1) Is there any *scientific* value to tanned hides with no data? We have
> many large mammal hides that were purchased from fur suppliers in the
> 1970's that take up a lot of room but lack data. We might keep one of each
> species for identification, but otherwise, they do not belong in a
> scientific collection (where we are constantly running out of space),
> correct?
>
>
>
> 2) Have any of your institutions developed protocols for deaccessioning no
> data specimens into the hands of private citizens? We will prioritize
> giving no data (former) specimens to education centers, but there is a
> limited need for no data shell collections that previous curators accepted
> from donors, so we will likely need to look elsewhere. We know that we
> would be limited in what we could give to private citizens by permit
> restrictions for owning wildlife parts, but we're also very concerned with
> devaluing public opinions of specimens by creating the impression that
> specimens can just be given away. I would love to hear any language or
> agreements you've developed to make it clear why items are deaccessioned
> and how they differ from scientific specimens.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Catherine
>
>
>
>
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smm.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C1d55b3ed6f9542d1b64c08d98f151713%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637698143621953123%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=lwhKYeSr5G6n7q0dyonTLTSFvBpWENKL%2BYUItbJ%2F4Ac%3D&reserved=0>
>
> *Catherine M. Early, PhD*
>
> she/her
>
> *Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology*
>
> e: cearly at smm.org
>
> https://catherineearly.wixsite.com/home
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcatherineearly.wixsite.com%2Fhome&data=04%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C1d55b3ed6f9542d1b64c08d98f151713%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637698143621963114%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=EbcTjpM7bcyw2aGvPRHLTReNnLNNhpBhV25aDuRVQAc%3D&reserved=0>
>
>
>
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-- 
-So many mites, so little time!
Barry M. OConnor
Emeritus Professor  & Curator
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Research Museums Center
University of Michigan                  phone: 734-763-4354
3600 Varsity Drive                         fax: 734-763-4080
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-2228          e-mail: bmoc at umich.edu
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