[Nhcoll-l] Cataloging unidentified, multi-species Lots

[Sarah K. Huber]

What are people's thoughts on cataloging unidentified, multi-species lots?

Here at the VIMS Fish Collection we have thousands of vials of unidentified larval fishes in multi-species lots (hundreds of thousands of individuals). The ability to identify all of these fishes prior to cataloging is daunting, and likely will not happen in the next 50 years. Especially since these lots come from collecting programs that are on-going, and we have limited personnel who are trained in taxonomic identification of larval fishes. I am debating the value of cataloging these lots without identifications. They all have good collection data, a count of the number of individuals per lot, and in many cases I can take a photograph of all individuals through the scope to attach to the collection record. The data and photographs would be made public. As individuals get identified out of these lots, they would receive a separate catalog number according to our normal protocols.

I would be interested to hear what people think about this approach.

Sarah K. Huber, Ph.D. (she/her)
Curatorial Associate, VIMS Nunnally Ichthyology Collection
Office 804.684.7104 | Collection 804.684.7285
skhuber at vims.edu<mailto:skhuber at vims.edu> | http://www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/index.php<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vims.edu%2Fresearch%2Ffacilities%2Ffishcollection%2Findex.php&data=04%7C01%7Cskhuber%40vims.edu%7C1063bb0e1daf4ab0024f08d897b1267f%7C8cbcddd9588d4e3b9c1e2367dbdf1740%7C0%7C0%7C637426134417674979%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=OEa%2F3y6PHz5lBFNRFMSFFSdxbyTq%2BBGC5PculkLg7nc%3D&reserved=0>
PO Box 1346 | 1370 Greate Rd., Gloucester Pt., VA 23062

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