About
The roots of UT's Zoology collections can be traced back to the work of Dr. W. Frank Blair in 1946. Dr. Blair, apparently frustrated at the lack of knowledge pertaining to the distribution of vertebrates in Texas, focused on collecting amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. When Dr. Clark Hubbs joined the faculty in 1949, he worked on adding extensive ichthyological material, thus creating the foundation of what is now the University's Ichthyology Collection.
The Ichthyology collection currently (October, 2018) consists of more than 70,000 lots (over 1.5 million specimens), most of which are "wet" collections preserved for long-term storage in 70% non-denatured ethanol. We have a small selection of larval fish from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands that are in 10% formalin. Our skeletal collection consists of around 1300 cleared and stained fish, as well as over 500 skeletal preparations. The alcoholic collections currently occupy 1586 square feet, spread out over two rooms. We also have a tissue collection with over 2000 samples preserved in 100% ethanol frozen in liquid nitrogen.
Our earliest specimes were collected in 1912, with a few collections from the 1930s and 1940s. There was significant growth in 1950–1980, mainly due to Clark Hubbs and his students. The bulk of our specimens (80%) are Texas freshwater fishes, with all Texas specimens (freshwater, saltwater, and brackish water) accounting for 87% of the collection. Our overall marine holdings, primarily from the Gulf of Mexico, consist of 7% of all localities. Holdings from other U. S. states or territories include: Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, 30 other states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Twenty non-U. S. countries are represented and account for 9% of the collection, with significant holdings from Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Zambia. Our collection continues to rapidly grow with many of our incoming specimens deriving from Dean Hendrickson and his students, museum staff, various researchers, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the National Park Service.
Type Specimens
The type collection includes:
Over 46 species are represented. The type specimens are housed in a separate area from the rest of the collections.
Acquired & Special Collections
Over the years we have absorbed into our catalog substantial collections from the following institutions:
- University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI): dontated to TNHC in 1990, containing over 3,000 lots of marine and brackish specimens from the Gulf of Mexico
- Midwestern University (MWSU): donated in 2000, Midwestern's preserved and skeletal fish teaching collection of fresh and saltwater specimens (over 1400 lots), mostly collected by W.W. Dalquest and his students
- Texas Tech University (TTU): exchanged with UT in 2000, adding over 1300 lots to the Ichthyology collection
- Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAIC): donated in 2002 and contributing over 5,200 lots, the personal collection of Dr. Allan H. Chaney
- The University of Texas at Brownsville: over 1100 lots donated in 2003 of David McNeely's coastal collections
- Lamar University: ~1200 records, primarily from east Texas and the Gulf coast, donated in 2011
- University of Louisiana at Monroe - we received part of this large collection, specifically specimens from Texas and Mexico, in 2019. We blogged quite extensively about the whole process and the unique values and importance of this collection. Other parts of the collection, largely the work of Dr. Neil Douglas, went to various Louisiana collections.
- Texas State University (TSUSM) - over 2,500 previously uncataloged lots donated in 2014 primarily from collections made by Dr. Tim Bonner and his students mostly from locations throughout Texas.
State and federal government agencies that contribute significantly to our collections include:
Our Name and Codon
Natural History Collections, like ours, have unique abbreviations called codons. They are used as shorthand to define where specimens are held (typically as a prefix to the catalog number) and are often encountered in online data aggregators and publications that cite specimens. We are one of the collections in the University of Texas Biodiversity Collections (UTBC) and were formerly part of the Texas Natural History Collections (TNHC) administered by Texas Memorial Museum (TMM) and the Texas Natural Science Center (TNSC). Each of these parenthetical codons, as well of those associated with absorbed collections, can be seen among our data depending on when and where the data were acquired. Users referring to our collections or citing specific specimens held in our collection should use our current codon, "TNHCI".
Clark Hubbs Materials
Dr. Clark Hubbs founded UT's fish collection and his legacy is very much apparent still. 13.4% of the jars on our collection shelves still bear his name as collector. A group of his former students and colleagues formed the Hubbs Ichthyological Society to honor Clark and his career by continuing his life-long efforts to document the Texas freshwater fish fauna, to learn more about it, and to help protect it and the habitats it occupies. Hendrickson published a biography of Clark Hubbs in 2000, and more recently (2019), the UT Biodiversity Center prepared and published a web page on him.
The Clark Hubbs Papers
The Clark Hubbs Papers were donated to the Texas Natural History Collections as a bequest of Dr. Hubbs' will. Along with his professional papers, the TNHC also has Hubbs' reprint collection, library of books, and field notes. The papers (not including the reprints, books, and field notes) were processed and re-housed during the summer of 2011 by a hard-working and dedicated masters of Information Science student who left it all neatly organized into proper archival storage in the TNHC Library. The contents are now far more secure for long term preservation, and easily accessible. As a result, these papers are far more valuable not only to those of us who work in this collection, but also to future researchers.
This collection is divided into three main groups: Researcher, Author, and Faculty Member. The bulk of the collection comes from Dr. Hubbs' role as a researcher.
Major series in this collection include:
- Researcher - Field Notes
- Researcher - Lab Notebooks
- Researcher - Lab Notecards
- Researcher - Lab Notes
- Researcher - Reports
- Author - Manuscripts
- Author - Reprints
- Author - Visual Aids
- Faculty Member - Administrator
- Faculty Member - Professor
Download the archive's Finding Aid (pdf).
UT's Briscoe Center also has archives of Clark's materials. See their metadata for that collection.
Contact Dean Hendrickson, Curator, Ichthyology, for further information and access to the materials held in the Fish Collection.
Dr. Hubbs is also featured on our Influential People in Biodiversity. Read more about him here.
Personnel
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Curator, 512-471-9774 |
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Collections Manager 512-471-8845 |
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Ryan Rash Research Associate/Ichthyologist 512-475-8171 |
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Systematic Ichthyologist 512-471-4823 |
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Dr. Gary Garrett Research Associate/Ichthyologist 512-471-4823 |
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Roy Kleinsasser Research Associate/Ichthyologist 512-471-4823 |
Websites and Databases
| Tomislav Urban | Nick Kaufmann | Bennett Ramirez | Ed Turpin |
| Casey Hartsough |
Volunteers and Short-term Staff
| Travis Moore | Tori Rodrigues | Holland Austin | Ella Wisdom |
| Erika Noda |
Student Researchers
| Allison Davis |
Collections Affiliates
| Dr. Laurie A Dries |
Evolutionary Ecologist, Ph.D. at City of Austin |
| Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp | Director -- Center for Conservation & Research, San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, TX |
| Dr. Francisco J García De León |
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, México |
| Leroy J Kleinsasser |
Aquatic Biologist, Texas Parks and Wildlife, River Studies (retired) |
| Dr. Jean K Krejca |
President, Zara Environmental L.L.C., Austin, TX Ph.D. UT Austin, Integrative Biology |
| Dr. John D McEachran | former Curator of Ichthyology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX |
| Dr. María de Rocío Rodiles Hernández |
El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, México |
| Dr. Laura Dugan |
Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Natural Diversity Database http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/txndd/ |
| Dr. Sarah Haas |
Texas Parks and Wildlife, Inland Fisheries https://tpwd.texas.gov/about/administration-divisions/inland-fisheries |
| Dr. Tiffany Hopper |
Texas Parks and Wildlife, Coastal Fisheries https://tpwd.texas.gov/about/administration-divisions/coastal-fisheries |
| Dr. Robert J. Edwards |
Ichthyologist, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (retired) |
| Dr. James D. Simons | retired from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Center for Coastal Studies (http://gomexsi.tamucc.edu/) |
Previous Curators and Personnel
| Zoology Curators: Dr. Frank Blair, Dr. Clark Hubbs, Dr. R. K. Selander |
| TNSC Curators: E. Whitehouse, G. G. Raun, C. L. Douglas, and R. F. Martin |
| Collection Managers: Jessica Rosales, Allison Anderson, Carol Malcolm, and Doyle Mosier |
| Primary Staff: Ben Labay |
Previous Volunteers/Staff/Student Researchers
| Joann Lovelace | Chase Shelburne | Sebastian Espinoza | Andrew Gordon |
| Hayley Gillespie | Jeremy Harrison | Valerie Bugh | Connor French |
| Justin Crow | Alex Rayo | Sara Cathey | Marco Rangel |
| Rebecca Westwick | Katherine Criswell | Wenxian Tan | Zoe Trautz |
| Gina Higby | Mackenzie Anderson | Christina Garcia-Viesca | Todd Ellis |
| Jessica Chappel | Laurel Trevino | Kate Barrett | Gary Zeplin |
| Lauren Pulliam | Stephanie Shelton | Seanne Buoy | Blake Sissel |
| George Murphy | Jameson Wall | Cydney Meyer | Thao Vu |
| Elizabeth McLean | Terry Huang | Chelsea Jones | Leonardo Feitosa |
| Devin Spencer | Christina Scanlon | Karen Schnell | Chris Long |
| Kenny Cao | Adam Zambie | Alejandro Santillana | Qingwen Yang |
| Laura Springer | Isabell Willner | Wesley Foreman | Jill Paddock |
| Ryan Rash | Ashley Garza | Deborah Carballo | Quanit Ali |
| Dale Jaroszewski | Nika Sarraf | Bethany Leach | Alex Barth |
| Colton Avila | Siya Asatkar | Mary Hughes | Abigail Birdsell |
| Han Ooi | Dante Collier | Lee Kaplan | Ethan Nolen |
| David Perrin | Kerri West | Maggie Monroe | Ellington Tough |
| Aidan Mabey |
Research
Fishes of Texas Project - a major focus of the Fish Collection staff since about 2006 has been the Fishes of Texas Project - a multi-institutional compilation of museum specimen-based and georeferenced fish occurrence records. In addition to data compilation, verification of identifications via inspection of specimens, and georeferencing, existence of this large, rigorously normalized database has made diverse ecological and conservation-relevant research possible. Read more about this endeavor in the project's documentation
Modeling - as a first step toward many future landscape-scale geospatial analyses using Fishes of Texas data, we developed powerful predictive computer models of species’ distributions using commonly accepted practices and modeling algorithms. We provide them here so that others may use them in their own research and applications. Our models provide continuous coverages of probabilities of species occurrences across all cells of a fine-scale grid extending across all of Texas, thus effectively “filling in the blanks” between the actual occurrences that we know to be distributed in non-random ways as a result of diverse historic factors such as collectors' interests, gears, landowner permission, etc.
Conservation Assessment and Planning - Strategic conservation planning for broad, multi-species & multi-jurisdictional landscapes benefits from a data-driven approach that emphasizes persistence of all priority species’ populations and utilized landscapes, while simultaneously accounting for human uses and varying stakeholder & conservation priorities. We are applying the species distribution models in systematic conservation area selection assessments for Texas and the Great Plains, USA. The prioritization frameworks produced are intended to direct managers in effective allocation of conservation action with regards to imperiled fishes.
Bioassessment - We are collaborating with experts around the state to explore application of species distribution models to bioassessment of fish communities and stream health. Generally, we are exploring an approach to bioassessment using species distribution models as environmental filters to construct a fish community model across a large and environmentally diverse landscape to serve as a reference state benchmark of taxonomic completeness.
Climate Change - We have explored using the species distribution models in climate change applications, projecting species' climatic suitability onto projected future conditions. This work is intended to provide information on the direction and magnitude of climatic suitability shifts considering extreme and conservative projected global greenhouse gass emission scenarios.
Colorado River Basin Cyprinids – a clean-up of the occurrence data for cyprinids from the Colorado basin, with an emphasis on examining whether or not N. oxyrhynchus are native there
Waller Creek Xiphophorus – the first documented occurrence of Xiphophorus variatus in Texas and exploration into how it has survived in Waller Creek on the UT campus for many years.
Mexican Trout – ‘Truchas Mexicanas’ is a binational group aimed at gathering information about the under-studied native trout of Mexico
Cuatro Cienegas – a website created in 1995, as part of the Desert Fishes Council, providing basic information on the biodiversity and various research projects taking place in the central Coahuila valley
Publications
TNHC Fish Collection Google Scholar page: provides links to papers that use TNHC specimens or data, as well as publications that cite those papers
TNHC specimens cited as detected by GBIF: When specimens are cited using GBIF's guidlines we can see those publications here.
Fishes of Texas Project Google Scholar page: provides links to papers that use the data held in our FIshes of Texas project. Our Fishes of Texas Project is much newer, but it too is being extensively used in published literature.
To see publications by staff involved in the collections see the Hendrickson Lab pages publication section.
The TNHC has deep roots in the Texas Memorial Museum (TMM) that published extensively and mostly on Paleontology and Archeology/Anthropology (sometimes fishes), which for many years were strong research and exhibit emphases of the TMM. We were moved September 1, 2014 to the Department of Integrative Biology and since then, via a small grant from the University Library, we scanned and published text-based digital versions (pdfs) of all issues of both the TMM Bulletin and the Pearce-Sellards Series that were still available in hard copy and made them available in the UT Digital Repository (https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/29837).
Online Data
Our collection's data are openly available to anyone, and we publish them in diverse ways for different audiences (see below).
Please cite us properly when using our data. Although the official name of the collections within the University of Texas is now the Biodiversity Collections of the Department of Integrative Biology, the acronym TNHC (Texas Natural History Collections) should be used when referring to specimens in publications. Whenever TNHC specimens or data are used in published research it should be acknowledged in the publication with a proper citation (see our preferred citation here). It is also customary to list specific specimen lots in publications. If doing so please reference our catalog numbers prefixed with "TNHC". Copies of all publications (peer reviewed or not) referencing TNHC specimens should be sent to the curator and collection manager.
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Fishes of Texas Project (FoTX) - If you are looking specifically for Texas fish data, including ours and that of others, this is our own, carefully curated compilation of Texas fish specimen holdings from museums around the world. We are, however, not yet synchronizing it with our own collection's database, so users may discover that it lacks some recent records (see below if those are of interest to you). But, this website goes beyond simple specimen records, providing access to carefully curated and normalized data, identification keys, images, field notes and other resources from many collections, including some that otherwise do not publish their digital data. Recently, we've also gone beyond specimen-vouchered data by adding occurrence records from other sources not backed by specimens. Some of those data are now in Fishes of Texas, but see also the project's Sandbox site.
- Biodiversity data aggregators - These all serve content from global data providers, of which we are one of thousands. Since November of 2018, when we implemented our own Internet Publishing Toolkit (IPT), the complete catalog of our own collection's specimen data and images published to the major biodiversity data aggregators is updated weekly (download that complete file directly from our IPT here), and we hope to soon add links to our DNA and tissue samples as well. Each aggregator uses the same data file from our IPT, but they do some editing of the data as they ingest it, using algorithms that do slightly different things to the data as its ingested, but each provide downloads of their versions of the data in the now-standard Darwin Core format. Their user interfaces are similar, but also vary in unique ways, but they all include a mapping interface and downloads of query results. They are, however, mostly designed for use by biodiversity researchers, and non-specialists might find them somewhat difficult to use. However, each of the following now include all records from our collection, updated weekly. Here are the links to our data in each:
- GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- VertNet: a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded collaborative project that makes biodiversity data free and available on the web (updated regularly from our IPT)
- iDigBio: another NSF-funded project, and perhaps the most easily accessible of the major aggregators for general users.
- FishNet2: is another collaborative global data aggregation network, but focused strictly on fishes. It is updated periodically from GBIF, but perhaps not as frequently as is the case for the other aggregators above)
- Our own Specify Portal is our newest data-publishing endeavor, going online in April of 2019 with interactive maps and lists of query results, data downloads, images, etc. Like the aggregators above, it can be queried in many ways, including on some fields that are sometimes not easily accessed via the global aggregators. Its user interface is likely to be somewhat more user-friendly than are the those of the aggregators, and Specify provides user instructions. Note that this portal is independent of the weekly-updated dataset on our IPT that the aggregators use, and may not be quite as frequently updated. It's still somewhat experimental for us.
Please contact the Collection Manager with any questions about our data.
Loans
Loans must be requested using our online submission system and a written requests must be made to the curator and/or collection manager stating which specimens are being requested and for what purpose. Loans are made only to established researchers at recognized institutions with the facilities to properly house and care for the specimens. Students should request loans through their advisor, who will sign the loan invoice and assume responsibility for care and return of the specimens. Researchers not affiliated with an institution may request loans provided that a recognized institution/individual is willing to take responsibility for the specimens.
Unless an exception is made, no more than ½ of our total specimens of a taxon (or total specimens from any area) will be loaned at one time; the remainder may be requested after the full return of the first half. We also reserve the right to limit loans on the basis of sex, size, location, collection dates and any other parameters that affect specimen value.
In all cases loan approval is at the discretion of the curator.
Communications
Invoices must be signed and returned upon receipt of the specimens. Specimen damage that occurs during transit must be reported immediately. Taxonomic changes or other corrections to our data should be indicated on the signed returned loan invoice, and preferably included as well on new archival jar labels packaged together with the specimens. These labels should identify the person making the remarks. Borrowers are expected to notify the curator and collection manager of any unforeseen accidents that may have damaged or destroyed specimens.
Storage
Materials must be stored and handled according to professionally accepted standards and within limitations specified in the loan invoice. Specimens must be maintained in the fluid and concentration noted on the loan invoice.
Shipping Specimens
All shipments must fully comply with all shipping and specimens transport restrictions imposed by any agents and governments, and packaging of specimens for shipment in hazardous materials (as are alcohol, formalin, dry ice and liquid Nitrogen) should comply with those regulations as well.All shipments should be done by carriers that provide secure tracking of all shipments. Shipments should be coordinated with the collection manager and curator to assure that delays and detours are avoided. At the time of shipment, email or call the collection manager and curator of the package tracking information and carrier contacts, as well as anticipated arrival date and time.
Types
Holotypes will not be loaned and loans of other types are carefully considered. Requests for loans of type material will only be considered if they can be hand-carried between the borrowing and loaning institutions, or if they can be shipped using a secure and fast courier service such as FedEx or other trusted carrier. If you wish to examine type specimens we encourage you to visit.
Costs
TNHC will pay outgoing shipping most loans, however costs associated with shipping specimens with special protected status as listed by any government, and and special fees charged by governments and some shippers, such as USFWS "Premium Inspection Fees", must be paid by borrower.
Loan Period
Loans are for a period of 6 months, if additional time is needed a request must be submitted in writing to the curator before the due date.
Destructive Sampling
Requests to dissect, or otherwise alter specimens in any way, must be made in writing to the curator and collection manager, who will make decisions on a case by case basis. If permission has been given to dissect or remove parts, those parts must be returned labeled with archival quality labels with the TNHC catalog number, and associated to the specimen from which they were removed. Any products of preparation such as DNA samples (below), histological slides, images, etc., are regarded as part of the specimens and must be returned, unless specific permission to retain sub-samples or products is granted by the curator in writing.All specimens must be returned in the condition in which they were lent and all loaned specimens must be returned.
Genetic Samples
Loans of genetic material are typically considered to be destructive loans since the material is usually destroyed in analysis. However, we ask that any unused tissue be returned along with any DNA extracts derived from those tissues. Any DNA sequences should be submitted to GenBank (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank) and TNHC should be notified of GenBank accession numbers. For more on Genetic Sample loans, click here.
Transfers of Loans
Requests for permission to transfer loans (whether to other institutions or other individuals) should be made well in advance of the proposed transfer in writing to both the curator and collection manager, and written permission obtained, prior to transfer of specimens.
Visits
Visiting the collections is encouraged when possible, especially when dealing with type and/or rare specimens. Please contact the appropriate curator and collections manager for more information.
Citing us in Publications
Although the official name of the collections within the University of Texas is now the Biodiversity Collections of the Department of Integrative Biology, the acronym TNHC (Texas Natural History Collections) should be used when referring to specimens in publications. Whenever TNHC specimens or data are used in published research it should be acknowledged in the publication with a proper citation (see our preferred citation here). It is also customary to list specific specimen lots in publications. If doing so please reference our catalog numbers prefixed with "TNHC". Copies of all publications (peer reviewed or not) referencing TNHC specimens should be sent to the curator and collection manager.Failure to adhere to any of the above terms and conditions can result in loss of loan privileges.
Contribute
Volunteer Time
Volunteers are a critical component of our workforce. If you'd like to assist in the collections contact the collection manager or curator.
Donate Financially
If you'd like to contribute financially to our fish collection and/or the Fishes of Texas Project please go to our donation page.
Donate Specimens
It is considered best scientific practice to deposit specimens used in scientific research to allow for data verification and reproducibility. Depositing specimens with us is an easy process for scientists or non-scientists that will result in publication of the donor's specimen records in all of our online datasets. It will make specimen data citable and easy to reference in publications and allow researchers (including the donor) from all over the world to access the specimens in perpetuity. Once deposited, specimens could last hundreds of years or more if preserved properly.
Authorizations
Donors must provide copies of all documentation or permits authorizing the legal collection and importation (if applicable) of the specimens. The required documents differ depending on the species, where, and when the specimens were collected. In many cases, especially if collected in the US what is required may be nothing more than a state fishing license issued by the state from where the specimens came. Researchers usually need to provide a scientific collecting permit issued by the state. Specimens from outside the US require other permits. We may request that you provide a letter authorizing permission from a landowner if collected from privately owned water bodies. Contact the collection manager if you have any questions.
Deed of Gift form
We must receive a signed Deed of Gift form. This is a way for us to get legal custody of the specimens and gather additional relevant data about them. That form is here.
Specimen preparation
We accept various types of specimens (either whole or incomplete) including skeletons, cleared and stained, and tissue samples, but most donors provide fluid preserved specimens (formalin fixed and transferred to ethanol). Whatever the type, they must be labeled with rag paper using pencil or inks that do not smear or dissolve in ethanol. The labels should indicate where and when the specimens were collected at a minimum, but can also inlude field numbers, counts of specimens, lengths of specimens, taxonomic determinations, determiner names and determination dates. Labels should be inside the jars with well-sealed lids.
Ancillary data items
We ask that donors provide fieldnotes, contemporaneously acquired environmental data, or images of the specimens or habitats taken at the time of collection, if such items exist. We will maintain those in our files and provide them via online data providers.
Data spreadsheet
It greatly speeds the processing of specimens into the collections if donors provide a spreadsheet of data relating to the specimens. The data we need include the following, but additional data can be included (dates and localities are required):
- Specimen unique identifiers
- Field numbers
- Locality (*)
- Higher geography (county, state, country)
- Coordinates (decimal degrees preferred)
- Spatial error estimate (as length of a radius originating from the coordinates)
- Dates (*)
- Taxonomic determination
- Collector names
Here is an Excel file template, with even more fields, that can help donors to organize data to send us. Please contact the collection manager with questions.
Publications and specimen derivatives
Please let us know if any of the specimens being donated have been used in research so we can properly link the specimens to resources that have been derived from them. We can link to items such as publications, genetic sequences, and imagery so long as those items are findable online.
