| Name | Collection of continental molluscs from the Balearic islands. |
| Alternative name | MCNB. Col. continental molluscs Balearic islands |
| Cite as | Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB). Collection of continental molluscs from the Balearic islands MCNB. Col. continental molluscs Balearic islands |
| Description | Collection of continental molluscs from the Balearic Islands consisting of dry shells (99% of lots) and whole organisms preserved in ethyl alcohol. In all, there are 71 900 specimens grouped into 3,875 lots that include 36 type specimens. The collection includes bivalves and terrestrial (the most important part of the collection) and freshwater gastropods. Part of the material belongs to the Museum's historical collections (original collection of Francesc Martorell and collections of Artur Bofill, Joan Baptista d'Aguilar-Amat, Joan Rosals, Manuel de Chía, Baltasar Serradell and Jaume Balmes Institute, amongst others). Some of the most recent material comes from the collections of Miquel Bech and Luis Gasull, above all from the latter, whose contribution is quantitatively (almost two-thirds of all the lots of continental gastropods from the Balearic Islands) and qualitatively very important (22 type specimens). Geographically, the collection covers the main Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera), as well as some of the archipelago's smaller islets. Wide range of taxa, with an especially important number of Helicoidea. The whole collection has been registered, documented and digitalized to specimen-lot level. Data from a part of the collection can be consulted on-line on the website of the Barcelona Natural History Museum and the portal GBIF. The interest in the continental malacological fauna from the Balearic Islands lies in its high proportion of endemic taxa, with species and subspecies only found on certain islands or only in parts of certain islands. These highly localized distributions and recent habitat alteration mean that some of these species are highly endangered. As such this collection is an important record of the taxonomic and chorological studies of these gastropods carried out by different authors, above all by L. Gasull, whose collection includes abundant data on distribution. The singularities of the malacological fauna of the Balearic Islands are illustrated by specimens from this collection that are part of the Museum's permanent exhibition. Currently, in the Museum Blau there is a display on the specific variability in the genus Xerocrassa in the Balearic Islands (80 specimens from 18 lots). |
| Provenance | The first specimens came from the shell collection of Francesc Martorell i Peña and were part of the original collection of the Martorell Museum (1879). The addition of the collections of Artur Bofill, Joan Baptista d'Aguilar-Amat and Joan Rosals in 1917-1920 increased the Museum's collection of continental gastropods from the Balearic Islands significantly. Further material came from other historical collections that were added subsequently, including specimens from the collections of Manuel de Chía (1923), Baltasar Serradell (1931) and the Jaume Balmes Institute (1936). Also of interest are the material supplied by other collaborators and obtained from other sources such as Marià Ferrer Bravo, Francesc Español, Pius Font i Quer, Enric Gros, Santiago Novellas and Josep Maluquer, amongst others. Under the direction of Artur Bofill i Poch (1892-1929) and then J. B. d’Aguilar-Amat (1929-1936), the malacological section began to be reorganized and all the different collections were united and the nomenclature revised (all the original labels have been preserved). Subsequent additions include specimens from the collections of Luis Gasull donated in 1983 (when Rosario Nos was director), which meant a great increase in the number of molluscs from the Balearic Islands in the Museum's collection. Aside from its qualitative value, this collection is important due to the taxonomic and chorological studies carried out by Gasull using its specimens, which include 22 type specimens. There are also specimens from the collection of Miquel Bech (donated to the Museum in 2009) and from the fieldwork by Oleguer Escolà in 1970-1980. In recent years, valuable donations have been made by collaborators and specialists such as Cristian Altaba and Wolfgang Grace, which include several new type specimens. Francesc Uribe has been curator of the Museum's non-Arthropod Invertebrate collection since 1997. During his time in charge, the registration, documentation and computerization to specimen-lot level has been completed. |
