Short Description
The Fish Collection of the NHM Vienna belongs, based on its historical value, to the most important comparative scientific collections in Europe. Approximately two third of the holdings, containing more than 1 000 000 specimens with focus on South America and Europe, has been collected in the 19th century (the oldest scientific object dates back to 1817) and the early 20th century.
Over 95% of the material is preserved in alcohol (in ca. 150 000 lots). The ca. 1 800 skeletons (>1 200 mounted, 633 disarticulated on plates) and the ca. 2 000 taxidermic specimens represent the smaller part.
Special features are the comprehensive collection material of Johann Jacob Heckel (1790-1857), Johann Natterer (1817-1835), Rudolf Kner (1810-1869) and Franz Steindachner (1834-1919).
Core of the scientific collection is the about 2,500 species comprising type collection, one of the most important worldwide.
The majority of the collection material is catalogued via index cards, the object data of each specimen (scientific name, locality and date of collecting, collector, date of acquisition, location of the object within the collection etc.) are transferred to an inventory database in an ongoing proceeding.
Apart from the custodial managing duties of increasing and preserving the collection as well as making the objects accessible to the public, the staff members are involved in scientific projects and cooperations with national and international scientific colleagues and answer the requests of scientists, students and interested non-professionals.
The following equipment is accessible to research guests:
• 1 stereomicroscope Zeiss SteREO Discovery.V8 (objective S Achromat 0,5x and 0,3x) with camera Axiocam 208 color (image & video)
• 2 stereomicroscopes Wild Heerbrugg M5 & M5A
• Photo station, Kaiser company, RB 5000 DL, Copy Lightning Unit 5556
Contact Person
Dr. Ernst Mikschi
Research Services
Possible after consultation:
• Fish identification
• DNA analyses of tissue samples
• Provision of photo material
• Support of research with respect to issues concerning the collection
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
• Fish identification based on morphology and genetics.
• Laboratory and field work.
• Inventory database and index cards with information on date, location and collector (and more) of the scientific material.
• Comprehensive technical library.
• Implementation of research projects with national and international cooperation partners.
• Supervision of master and PhD students.
Allocation to research infrastructure
DiSSCo
Date: 2019 – (2024)
Authors: Dr. Anja Palandačić & Prof. Peter Trontelj
Funding: FWF Austrian Science Funds
Partner: Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Link: https://pf.fwf.ac.at/de/wissenschaft-konkret/project-finder/45055
Project titel: Lost in karst: revision of the Dinaric endemic fauna of leuciscune fishes (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) based on historical and recent data, No.: FWF M2183-B25 [M 2183 Meitner-Programm]
Date: 2017-2019
Author: Dr. Nina Bogutskaya
Funding: FWF Austrian Science Foundation
Partner: -
Palandačić et al. (2017) Contrasting morphology with molecular data: an approach to revision of species complexes based on the example of European Phoxinus (Cyprinidae). BMC Evolutionary Biology, 17 (1), 1. https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-017-1032-x
Ramler et al. (2017) Morphological divergence of lake and stream Phoxinus of Northern Italy and the Danube basin based on geometric morphometric analysis. Ecology and Evolution, 2017, 7(2): 572-584.
Palandačić et al. (2015) Molecular data suggest a multispecies complex of Phoxinus (Cyprinidae) in the Western Balkan Peninsula. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 92, 118-123. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790315001670
Palandačić et al. (2012) Molecular data as a possible tool for tracing groundwater flow in karst environment: example of Delminichthys adspersus in Dinaric karst system. Ecohydrology, 5(6): 791-797. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eco.269/abstract
Palandačić et al. (2012) Fish migrate underground: the example of Delminichthys adspersus (Cyprinidae). Molecular Ecology, 21(7): 1658-1671. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05507.x/pdf
Englmaier GK, Tesfaye G, Bogutskaya NG (2020) A new species of Enteromius (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae, Smiliogastrinae) from the Awash River, Ethiopia, and the re-establishment of E. akakianus. ZooKeys 902:107-150. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.902.39606
Bogutskaya NG, Ahnelt H (2019) New data on the western Balkan leuciscids Alburnoides and Alburnus (Teleostei, Leuciscidae) from the Vjosa River, Albania. ZooKeys 870:101-115. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.870.36235
Bogutskaya NG, Diripasko OA, Zupančič P, Jelić D, Naseka A (2019) Phenotypic diversity in an endangered freshwater fish Squalius microlepis (Actinopterygii, Leuciscidae). ZooKeys 897: 115-147. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.897.38768
Bogutskaya NG, Jelić D, Vucić M, Jelić M, Diripasko OA, Stefanov T, Klobučar G (2019) Description of a new species of Phoxinus from the upper Krka River (Adriatic Basin) in Croatia (Actinopterygii: Leuciscidae), first discovered as a molecular clade. Journal of Fish Biology 96(2): 378-393 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14210
Bogutskaya NG, Stefanov T, Naseka AM, Diripasko OA (2019) A recent record of Romanogobio antipai (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae, Gobioninae) from the Danube River in Bulgaria. ZooKeys 825: 105–122. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.825.32434
Bogutskaya NG, Zupančič P, Jelić D, Diripasko OA, Naseka AM (2017) Description of a new species of Alburnus Rafinesque, 1820 (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae, Leuciscinae) from the Kolpa River in the Sava River system (upper Danube drainage), with remarks on the geographical distribution of shemayas in the Danube. ZooKeys 688: 81−110. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.688.11261
Jouladeh Roudbar A, Eagderi S, Esmaeili HR,·Coad BW, Bogutskaya NG (2016) A molecular approach to the genus Alburnoides using COI sequences data set and the description of a new species, A. damghani, from the Damghan River system (the Dasht-e Kavir Basin, Iran) (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae). ZooKeys 579: 157−161 https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.579.7665
Kartavtsev YuF, Batischeva NM, Bogutskaya NG, Katugina AO, Hanzawa N (2016) Mitochondrial DNA Part A DNA Mapping, Sequencing, and Analysis Molecular systematics and DNA barcoding of Altai osmans, oreoleuciscus (Pisces, Cyprinidae, Leuciscinae), and their nearest relatives, inferred from sequences of cytochrome b (Cyt- b), cytochrome oxidase c (Co-1), and complete mitochondrial genome. Mitochondrial DNA Part A 28(4):502-517 https://doi.org/10.3109/24701394.2016.1149822
Diripasko OA, Bogutskaya NG, Dem’yanenko KV, Izergin LV (2015) Sea of Azov: a brief review of the environment and fishery. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management, 18(2):184-194 https://doi.org/10.1080/14634988.2015.1039428