RAMHSS: Sustaining Support for the Curation, Improvement, and Service Function of a Major Systematic Collection of Recent Mollusks

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The Mollusk Collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia is one of the largest and most significant collections in the United States and the world devoted to a single group of organisms. Essentially all groups of mollusks from around the world are represented in this collection, and thorough systematic research in malacology almost always requires reference to specimens in this collection. The collection includes more than 400,000 specimen lots, comprising 10.3 million specimens, of which 11,700 are type specimens. Three major curatorial projects are currently underway: computer cataloging and accessioning of shells obtained as gifts, orphaned collections, and research collections; sorting, identifying, cataloging and accessioning alcohol-preserved specimens; and completion of a computerized catalog of type specimens. These curatorial projects will improve greatly the research impact of the collection. Visiting scientists will have more complete access to important material, and malacologists from around the world will gain a clearer picture of the Academy's holdings. Research in systematics, evolutionary biology, ecology, and environmental management will be enhanced through these efforts.