MVZ Amphibian and Reptile Collection

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The MVZ collection of amphibians and reptiles contains over 230,000 catalogued specimens. As of 9 October 2000, 112 of these have been designated holotypes, three are neotypes, three are syntypes, and 1,544 are paratypes and paratopotypes. Most specimens are fluid-preserved, but the collection also contains skeletal preparations, sets of amphibian eggs and larvae, and several thousand specimens that have been cleared and stained. Other special collections include pineal organs, 800 sectioned heads, a series of dried anuran skins from California and Argentina, and stomach contents that have been removed from more than 3,000 predatory reptiles.

Whereas the collection contains representatives from every continent, it is especially strong in its holdings from western North America and has important series from Latin America and from eastern and central Asia. Taxonomically, the collection contains representatives of every amphibian and reptilian Order. Approximately 82% of Families and 62% of extant genera are represented.

Links of Interest

Amphibiaweb
Amphibian Species of the World
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Herpetologists' League
The EMBL Reptile Database
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles