Pisces
This collection brings together historical records spanning over two centuries with the latest research findings and is considered an important reference work for the taxonomy and biogeography of fish.
Overview
The Pisces (fish) sub-collection comprises around 133,490 specimens and represents roughly half of the more than 30,000 described fish species.
The collection consists of approximately 130,640 alcohol-preserved specimens, as well as 1,100 skeletons and around 1,750 dried specimens and fish skins.
The sub-collection is of medium size, but is distinguished by its high proportion of historical specimens from collections worldwide. It is unique in Germany in this form and is of great international significance for taxonomic and biogeographical research.
Access
The sub-collection is available to researchers upon prior request to Collection Management.
In addition to the museum library’s holdings, a specialist ichthyological library is available. It comprises around 1,500 monographs as well as extensive collections of offprints dating from the 19th century onwards.
Digital records of type specimens are accessible via international databases such as GBIF and Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes. In addition, digital image and X-ray data are available at the museum.
History
The oldest holdings date from the late 18th century and include the collections of Marcus Elieser Bloch as well as individual specimens from Peter Simon Pallas.
Further significant additions were made through scientific expeditions and collections of the 19th century. These include materials from the North African expedition led by Friedrich Wilhelm Hemprich and Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, the anatomical collections of Johannes Müller, and extensive holdings from the German Deep-Sea Expedition aboard the Valdivia (1898–1899).
More recent additions were contributed, among others, by the Institute for Deep-Sea Fisheries of the former GDR.
Research
This sub-collection forms a key foundation for taxonomic, phylogenetic and biogeographical research. Of particular significance are some 2,500 type specimens, which form the basis for around 1,700 first descriptions, as well as specimens of rare and extinct species.
Researchers use the collection for comparative anatomical studies, questions relating to evolutionary biology, and investigations into ecology and fisheries biology. Current projects include, amongst other things, the historical analysis of early expeditions and the systematic cataloguing of historical holdings.