| Name | Scientific international reference collection of cnidarians |
| Alternative name | MCNB. Col. Scientific reference cnidarians |
| Cite as | Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB). Scientific international reference collection of cnidarians MCNB. Col. Scientific reference cnidarians |
| Description | Collection of Cnidaria consisting of whole organisms in liquid and dry invertebrate skeletons donated to the Museum in 2012 by the Institute of Marine Science (CSIC) and the University of Seville. This collection originates from the research programmes led by Josep M. Gili Sardà, Pablo López González and other researchers in the fields of taxonomy, ecology and biogeography. The donation was facilitated by the Ministry of Economy and Competition (Ref. CGL2011-14605-E) as part of the project to create an infrastructure in the Museum for this international reference collection of Cnidaria. This material has enriched considerably the Museum's collection of Cnidaria from both a quantitative (number of lots) and qualitative (diversity of taxa and type specimens) perspectives. This collection consists of 635 lots, almost twice the number of specimens in the Museum's historical collection. In all, 379 lots (corresponding to 160 species) originate from the Institute of Marine Science, with the remaining 256 lots (255 species) coming from the University of Seville. The taxonomic range encompasses the classes Hydrozoa, Anthozoa, Scyphozoa and Cubozoa (90% of lots correspond to the first two classes), and have specimens from around 20 different orders. The geographical range of the specimens covers the western Mediterranean (with an abundance of material from the Catalan coast), the southeast Atlantic (coasts of South Africa, Namibia, Angola), the Antarctic (Weddell and Scotia Seas) and other localities such as Laing Island (Papua New Guinea) and Guinea-Bissau. Most of the specimens originate from oceanographical research campaigns on board the vessels Discovery and Polarstern, carried out in recent decades. Documentary control of the lots to inventory level. |
| Description for especialists | Scientific international reference collection of cnidarians |
| Provenance | The collection originates from the research programmes led by Josep M. Gili Sardà, Pablo López González and other researchers in the fields of taxonomy, ecology and biogeography. There is a large proportion of taxa recently described by the authors of the collection and collaborators, and their type specimens. The specimens from the south Atlantic and the Antarctic that were collected from the 1960s onwards during oceanographic campaigns (some on the oceanographic research vessels Polarstern and Polarstern) represent the main part of the collection. The acquisition by the Museum of the collection, formerly held by the Institute of Marine Science (CSIC) and the University of Seville, was made possible by the Ministry of Economy and Competition (Ref. CGL2011-14605-E) who facilitated the creation of an infrastructure for this international reference collection of Cnidaria (2012). |
