Allantactis parasitica                                                Phellia marganitacea

ELECTRONIC IMAGES OF SEA ANEMONES (ACTINIARIA): PRESERVATION OF SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS AND SPECIMENS

   Nearly 1500 species of sea anemones have been described in the scientific literature. We are creating an electronic catalogue of all anemone species. Each entry includes the bibliographic reference to the description, the type locality, and the museum in which type specimens are housed.  Also included are illustrations from the original description.  We are also adding to this database unpublished images obtained from microscope slides and preserved museum specimens upon which the original description was based.  The primary goal of this catalogue is to make taxonomic research more efficient and thorough.  A second goal of this project is to preserve for posterity electronic images of these illustrations, slides, and specimens, some of which are more than 150 years old.  The publications, slides, and specimens are at risk of deteriorating and being lost or destroyed, and need to be preserved while still in relatively good condition.  We will eventually place these images on CD-ROM and the Internet, media that will allow them to be available to researchers for years to come.

Acknowledgment of Sponsors:
NSF grant DEB 9521819 (PEET) to DGF

Undergraduate Research Award to BJMcC from the Univ. of Kansas.

Bryan McCloskey

Tree of Life
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET)
National Science Foundation

• Catalogue of Sea Anemones

• Dr. Daphne Fautin