[Nhcoll-l] Questions concerning long-term storage of amphibians in freezers and in ETOH

[Elizabeth Wommack]

Hello everyone,

In the near the future, the UWYMV will be working to house samples of
Wyoming Toads (*Anaxyrus baxteri*) from captive breeding programs.
There is a large back log of toads from previous years in a chest freezer,
and several things we need to consider is how viable is the material still
available in the amphibians that have been in long storage, and also the
best way to preserve them.

Does anyone have experience with extracting and sequencing samples from
whole specimens that have been stored for 10+ years in freezers that are
kept at ~10C? Did the storage in the freezers effect the specimens or
samples in any way?

Since the genetic material from these specimens are potentially very
valuable, we're thinking of taking a tissue sample, and then fixing the
specimens in ETOH so they can be sampled later. I have fixed bird and
mammal carcasses in 95% ETOH and then transferred to 70% ETOH for storage,
but all of the herps I have prepared have been fixed in formaldehyde.

Does anyone have a experience or a protocol for fixing amphibians in ETOH
for long term storage?

As always, a big thank you to everyone for any advice and help.

cheers,
Beth Wommack

-- 
Elizabeth Wommack, PhD
Curator and Collections Manager of Vertebrates
University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates
Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center
University of Wyoming, Laramie
Laramie, WY 82071
ewommack@ <ewommack at berkeley.edu>uwyo.edu
www.uwymv.org
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