Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management
Revised Edition

by John E. Simmons
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Contents:

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Part I. A Brief History of Systematic Collections and Specimen Preservation

  1. Greco-Roman, to 400 CE
  2. Pre-Renaissance, 400-1400
  3. Renaissance, 1400-1600
  4. Pre-Linnean, 1600-1750
  5. Linnean, 1750-1850
  6. Post-Linnean, 1850-present
  7. The Future of Systematic Collections

Part II. Field Collecting

  1. Field Trip Planning
  2. Making the Collection
  3. Photography
  4. Sound Recordings
  5. Snakebite

Part III. Preservation of Specimens

  1. The Field Kit
  2. Field Notes
  3. Procedure for Processing Specimens in the Field
  4. Packing and Transport of Specimens
  5. Preparing Specimens for Skeletonizing
  6. Emergency Substitutes for Fixatives and Preservatives
  7. Color Preservation
  8. Frozen Specimens
  9. Miscellaneous Preservation Techniques

Part IV. Museum Collections

  1. Conservation of Herpetological Collections
  2. The Collection Storage Facility
  3. The Preparation Laboratory
  4. Personnel and Duties
  5. Collections Management
  6. Cataloging Specimens
  7. Containers and Closures
  8. Allocation of Specimens to Containers
  9. Allocation of Specimens in the Collection
  10. Museum Collection Management
  11. Loans, Gifts, and Exchanges
  12. Internal Use of Specimens
  13. Mixing Preservatives
  14. Topping up Containers and Preservative Concentration
  15. Rehydration of Specimens
  16. Updating or Modifying Specimen Records
  17. Specimens Exchanged, given to Other Institutions, Destroyed, or Lost
  18. Guidelines for Collection Growth

Literature Cited

Appendix I. Sources of Information for Collecting and Import Permits

Appendix II. Field Work Lists

Appendix III. Sources of Supplies and Information
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