Arctic Marine Fish Museum Specimens

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Metadata:

Identification_Information
Data_Quality_Information
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
Spatial_Reference_Information
Entity_and_Attribute_Information
Distribution_Information
Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: C. & T. Mecklenburg
Title: Arctic Marine Fish Museum Specimens
Online_Linkage: NA

Description:

Abstract:: Mecklenburg, C. W., T. A. Mecklenburg, B. A. Sheiko, and N. V. Chernova. 4 July 2006. Arctic marine fish museum specimens. Database submitted to ArcOD, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks by Point Stephens Research, P.O. Box 210307, Auke Bay, Alaska 99821 USA. This data set contains 3,102 records: the results of an evaluation of Arctic marine fish specimens in museums and other permanent collections for the primary purpose of determining geographic distributions of species. Many specimens in historical collections are misidentified, and the misidentifications prevent accurate determination of species distributions. Recent systematic reviews and syntheses of information on identification and taxonomy of North Pacific and Arctic fishes, as well as our experience working on taxonomy of Arctic fish species, allow us to correct misidentifications and reevaluate species distributions. At each museum we examine specimens with questionable identifications, such as specimens collected from localities outside the species’ published geographic ranges. We also examine a random sample of specimens of each species from each cruise or other collection activity. Identifications are changed to correct misidentifications and to bring the taxonomic nomenclature up to date (such as changing an old name or junior synonym to the current name or senior synonym). We also proof and correct locality data against cruise records and published station data; and add other types of information to the database that have not previously been made available; e.g., habitat and physical parameters (vegetation, bottom type, bottom depth, temperature, salinity, etc.) for University of British Columbia specimens, which are not posted online with their other specimen data. Each database record, designated by a unique museum reference number, contains data on one museum “lot.” A lot can contain one or more specimens. The first edition of the database contains 3,102 records from North American and Russian institutions: California Academy of Sciences (120 records); Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks (30); Museum of the Institute of Marine Biology, Vladivostok, Russia (3); Museum of the Moscow State University, Russia (46); Point Stephens Research, Auke Bay, Alaska (55); U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. (219); University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks (155); University of British Columbia, Vancouver (912); University of Washington, Seattle (748); and Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia (814). Development of the database has been funded primarily by NOAA, Arctic Research Office, through the Russian-American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA), and the Arctic Ocean Diversity (ArcOD) program (University of Alaska Fairbanks) of the Census of Marine Life. Population of the database is ongoing. Records will be added at least until the end of International Polar Year activities (2009), the Census of Marine Life program (2010), and the Russian-American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA; joint program of NOAA and Russian Academy of Sciences with activities currently planned through 2012). See <http://www.ipy.org/development/eoi/details.php?id=1087>) Thousands more existing museum specimens need to be evaluated and added, as well as specimens to be deposited in museums after ongoing and future cruises.
Purpose:: To provide a database of reliable records of occurrence for assessing geographic distribution of species.
Supplemental_Information:: Citation: Mecklenburg, C. W., T. A. Mecklenburg, B. A. Sheiko, and N. V. Chernova. 4 July 2006. Arctic marine fish museum specimens. Database submitted to ArcOD, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks by Point Stephens Research, P.O. Box 210307, Auke Bay, Alaska 99821 USA. Species identifications have been reviewed and in many cases changed. Therefore, a name associated with any particular museum catalog number in this database will not always be the same as the name given for that catalog number by the museums themselves (such as in print catalogs, searchable museum websites, or FishBase). Three manuscripts using results from this study are nearing completion: 1. Mecklenburg, C. W., B. A. Sheiko, N. V. Chernova, D. L. Stein, and B. A. Holladay. Benthic fishes trawled in Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea in August 2004. 2. Mecklenburg, C. W., T. A. Mecklenburg, B. A. Sheiko, and N. V. Chernova. Extensions of known range and records of marine fishes new and rare for arctic Alaska and eastern Siberia from a retrospective search of museum voucher specimens and collections of new material. 3. Mecklenburg, C.W., B. A. Sheiko, and N. V. Chernova. Systematics and annotated list of arctic marine fishes.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Currentness_Reference:: First edition includes museum records reviewed by the database creators through 31 May 2006. First specimen comes from 1843.

Status:

Progress: Planned
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency:: Annual or more frequent updates of the database are planned, including revisions to the current edition’s records as well as addition of records.

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: 0
East_Bounding_Coordinate: 0
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 90
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 60

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Focus is on the Arctic Ocean and its seas, and adjacent portions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. A relatively small number of records from subarctic seas are included for special reference purposes of the database creators. The first edition includes records primarily from the northern Bering Sea (60 degrees and farther north), Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, and the adjacent high Arctic.

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
Theme_Keyword: Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: marine fish
Theme_Keyword: museum
Theme_Keyword: voucher
Theme_Keyword: museum specimen
Theme_Keyword: museum specimen
Theme_Keyword: distribution

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: IOOS National Backbone Programs
Theme_Keyword: Version 1
Theme_Keyword: Alaska Ocean Observing System

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: AOOS Data Services
Theme_Keyword: Version 1
Theme_Keyword: dsid=ARCOD
Theme_Keyword: db=arcod
Theme_Keyword: id=collectioncode
Theme_Keyword: archive=2006/0000024
Theme_Keyword: collectioncode=2007F1

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ArcOD Data Services
Theme_Keyword: Shortname=FishWesternArctic
Theme_Keyword: CollectionCode=2007F1

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: IOOS Core Variables
Theme_Keyword: Version 1
Theme_Keyword: Biology

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: Core Variable Map
Theme_Keyword: Biology

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park Service Theme Category Thesaurus

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
Place_Keyword: Arctic Ocean
Place_Keyword: Chukchi Sea
Place_Keyword: Bering Strait
Place_Keyword: Bering Sea
Place_Keyword: Pacific Ocean
Place_Keyword: East Siberian Sea
Place_Keyword: Beaufort Sea
Place_Keyword: Laptev Sea
Place_Keyword: Alaska

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park System Unit Name Thesaurus

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park System Unit Code Thesaurus

Stratum:

Stratum_Keyword_Thesaurus: none

Temporal:

Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: none

Access_Constraints: NA

Use_Constraints:

When using information from this database that differs from information given for the same specimens in online museum fish collection search applications or printed catalogs, please cite this edition of the database (Mecklenburg et al. 2006). Since revisions are continually being made, we advise checking with the database creators to learn of any changes affecting data of interest. The database is not to be distributed to third parties.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Catherine W. Mecklenburg
Contact_Organization: Point Stephens Research

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing address
Address: P.O. Box 210307 Phone (907) 789-7603
City: Auke Bay
State_or_Province: Alaska
Postal_Code: 99821-0307
Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (907) 789-7603

Cross_Reference:

Citation_Information:

Title: Arctic Marine Fish Museum Specimens

Data_Set_Credit:

Catherine W. Mecklenburg1, T. Anthony Mecklenburg2, Boris A. Sheiko3, and Natalia V. Chernova3 1. Point Stephens Research, Auke Bay, Alaska, USA. Field Associate, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. Associate Specialist, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara. 2. Point Stephens Research, Auke Bay, Alaska, USA. 3. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
The results presented in this data set are from a number of studies on fishes of the North Pacific and Arctic oceans conducted by the database creators since about 1997. Funding for focusing on the northern Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Arctic Research, through an award to the Smithsonian Institution and UCAR subaward S04-50119; and the Arctic Ocean Diversity program of the Census of Marine Life, University of Alaska Fairbanks, FP604562.
We thank the museum curators and managers for hosting our research visits and allowing examination of the valuable specimens, ledgers, and field records in their care, and for so generously giving their time to resolve discrepancies in collection locality or other data, make special database searches, take photographs and radiographs, help us find and reshelve specimens, and occasionally loan specimens.
For the current edition of the database, C. W. Mecklenburg researched the following collections and particularly wishes to thank: California Academy of Sciences: Bill Eschmeyer, Tomio Iwamoto, David Catania, Jon Fong, Mysi Hoang, Bill Poly Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks: Brenda Holladay, Brenda Norcross Museum of the North, University of Alaska Fairbanks: Gordon Haas, Kevin May U.S. National Museum of Natural History: Jeff Williams, Kris Murphy, Sandra Raredon University of British Columbia: Rick Taylor, Don McPhail University of Washington: Ted Pietsch, Katherine Pearson Maslenikov
B. A. Sheiko evaluated specimens at the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg; and the Museum of the Moscow State University. N. V. Chernova evaluated specimens at the Zoological Institute.
The Point Stephens Research collection is housed at the Mecklenburgs’ laboratory at Point Stephens, Tee Harbor, a few miles north of Auke Bay and Juneau, Alaska. The collection includes, among others, Bering Sea specimens collected during participation in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service surveys which eventually will be donated to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and California Academy of Sciences. For opportunity to collect these fish and temporarily retain them for study, as well as funds for processing the samples, we thank Don Dragoo and Vernon Byrd, USFWS.

Native_Data_Set_Environment: Windows XP

Taxonomy:

Taxonomic_System:

Taxonomic_Procedures:

Published identification keys and descriptions of the species, including the original descriptions of the species as well as recent taxonomic reviews such as Mecklenburg et al. (2002), were used to identify fish specimens to species. Observations of external features such as scale patterns, fin configurations and shapes, coloration, and numbers of fin rays and other countable features were sometimes supplemented with radiographic and clearing and staining techniques, such as to count vertebrae or discern details of the shoulder girdle.

Taxonomic_Completeness:

Not all specimens are conclusively identified to species. Some may be identified from further study, but others may not be identifiable due to deterioration, lack of character development due to young age of the fish at death, or loss of the specimens. We use the sp. (species) designation for both unidentified and unidentifiable museum specimens. In several cases we use sp. for specimens that are identified to species in the literature or museum ledgers but have collection localities outside known ranges or other problems indicating a need to verify the identifications.

Vouchers:

Specimen:: Not applicable. This database uses museum voucher specimens generated from numerous studies, historical as well as recent.