Mammals
collection of the Siberian Zoological Museum
(curator - Elena I. Zholnerovskaya)
Go to Russian text
Although one of the largest zoological museums in Russia the Siberian Zoological Museum is one of the least well-known, despite the fact that in 1994 it celebrated its 50 anniversary. It is a department of the Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science (formerly the Biological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Scienses). Only tree museums in Russia have more than 100 000 mammal specimens: Leningrad, Moscow and Novosibirsk (Rossolimo, 1985; Zholnerovskaya, 1992, 1995; Mordkovich, Zholnerovskaya, 1995; Zholnerovskaya, Mordkovich, 1996)*.

The Siberian theriological collection is one of the thirteen largest collections in the world (Angermann, 1989; Genoways, Schlitter, 1982). It includes over 273 identified species, representative of the fauna of Siberia, and to a less extent other parts of the former USSR. For some species, data is also available from Western Europe, Western and Central Asia, Mongolia, Japan, Africa and other areas. The museum`s collection is composed of archived materials, and is not on display.
 

The composition of the collection of mammals of the Siberian Zoological Museum (Jan., 1, 1997)
Order:
in Museum
Number of 
species in:
Number of species 
in Museum
Percent of represented species in Museum
Number of species in Museum
Number of species in Museum
Specimens
ex-USSR*
ex-USSR
ex-USSR (%)
Foreign
Total
Lipotyphla**
51233
45
42
93
18
60
Carnivora
3445
56
39
70
-
39
Chiroptera
510
45
22
49
-
22
Lagomorpha
2025
13
12
92
1
13
Rodentia
43583
159
120
75
4
124
Artiodactyla
1238
25
14
56
-
14
Perissodactyla
1
2
1
59
-
1
Total***
102035
345
250
72
23
273

*In accordance with Pavlinov, Rossolimo (1987).
**Order Lipotyphla correspond to Order Insectivora (Pavlinov, Rossolimo, 1998).
***Now the Mammalia collection includes 103900 specimens of 286 species (Jul., 1, 2002).

The composition of the inventory is shown in the table supplied. It can be seen that there are about 70% are mammal species of the fauna of what was formerly the USSR, the bulk of wich are accounted for by lipotyphlans (51 000 specimens). Created through the efforts of S.U.Stroganov and B.S.Yudin, this section of the collection is possibly the best in Russia. The materials in the collection have been arranged in series reflecting the geographical, individual, sex, age and coat color variation.

The type collection is represented by 22 holotypes and lectotypes, and many paratypes of different species and subspecies.

The form of storage of the material as pelts, stuffed pelts, skulls, alcohol-fixed animals. The main collection is provided by a detailed card index arranged systematically.

The determination of collection materials was done by staff persons of the Institute of Animal Systematics and Ecology (formerly - Biological Institute) and scientists, who had visited the Museum. At the same time, there are many specimens from every genus without determination.

The Museum has «Catalogue of the collection of mammals in the Siberian zoological museum (Novosibirsk, Russia)» (Zholnerovskaya E.I., Koyasu K., 1997, in English). The catalogue adopts the following arrangement of material: species composition and the nomenclature of Russian fauna are presented in accordance with the "The Mammals of Eurasia" (Pavlinov et al., 1995), "The Mammals of Russia and Adjacent Territories" (Gromov and Erbajeva, 1995). Foreing fauna are in accordance with "The Systematics of Mammals" (Sokolov, 1973, 1977, 1979). In the case of deviations from adopted, the respective places in the text are provided with comments. There are few such cases. The geographical names of regions and localities are given in accordance with the" Atlas of the USSR" (1983), and the "Dictionary of Geographical Names of the USSR" (1983). They are in accordance with modern administrative division and each particular species is arranged alphabetically. The names of collectors are given only in especially interesting cases.
This catalogue is the first detailed list of the documented data for the Siberian Museum’s numerous species of mammals, collected over a period spanning over fifty years (1946-1996), and there is no equivalent in Russia. The publication of this catalogue was supported in part by the Fujiwara Natural History Foundation and by research grants from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan. The list of some voles (Rodentia: Cricetidae, Arvicolinae) and of all the ungulates (Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla) is published in first time. The list of another mammals was published earlier (Zholnerovskaya, Shvetsov, Kalabin and Lopatina, 1989, in Russian).

SYSTEMATICAL INDEX OF SPECIES is here!

THE TYPE COLLECTION CATALOGUE is here!

INFORMATION ON THE MARMOTA COLLECTION is here!


REFERENCES:

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