Preparation

About

These links and documents contain information about best practices for the preparation of different types of natural history specimens.

Contributors

Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting - 2016, during an iDigBio sponsored workshop by the following individuals participating in the "Museum Logistics" working group of the aforementioned workshop:

• Andy Bentley - University of Kansas, Collection Manager - Fishes
• Brian Sidlauskas - Oregon State University, Curator of Fishes
• Caleb McMahan - The Field Museum, Collection Manager of Fishes
• Norma Salcedo - College of Charleston, Professor
• Dean Hendrickson - The University of Texas at Austin, Curator of Fishes
• Alexandra Snyder - Museum of Southwestern Biology - Fishes, Collections Manager
• Randy Singer - Florida Museum of Natural History
• Gregory Watkins-Colwell - Yale Peabody Museum - Herps and Fishes, Collection Manager

Content also contributed by the Early Career Section of the Society of Herbarium Curators with help from Genevieve Tocci:

• Erica Krimmel
• Katie Pearson
• Tilottama Roy
• Christina Varnava
• Sophia Winitsky

Specimen Preparation Types by Collection Type

Botany

• Alcohol preserved
• Bulk collection - dried, tagged 3D objects in boxes or bags
• Cleared and Stained
• Dried tissue - silica-dried or cryo-preserved
• Formalin/FAA preserved
• Live culture
• Lyophilized - freeze-dried
• Mounted - dried and pressed, then glued, sewn, or taped to archival paper
• Packets - dried and stored in folded archival paper

Herpetology

• Formalin-fixed, fluid preserved - glass jars and vials
• Alcohol preserved - glass jars and vials
• Skeletal - microclimate in boxes, skeleton cases
• Cleared and Stained - conditions necessary for glycerin storage
• Tissue - handled by Genetic Resources best practices
• Larval - same as alcohol collections.

Ichthyology

• Formalin-fixed, fluid preserved - glass jars and vials
• Alcohol preserved - glass jars and vials
• Skeletal - microclimate in boxes, skeleton cases
• Cleared and Stained - conditions necessary for glycerin storage
• Tissue - handled by Genetic Resources best practices
• Larval - same as alcohol collections.

Links

Community Standards

Paleontology Portal Fossil Preparation module