CURATION OF THE ROYAL H. AND GENE MAPES INVERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY COLLECTION AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: TYPE SPECIMENS, CURATION PROGRESS AND COMPLETION

Collected over a period of 45 years, the Royal H. and Gene Mapes collection contains ~540,000 marine fossil specimens, primarily from the Upper Paleozoic, with a diverse range in taxa and locality. The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) acquired the collection in 2013, filling a gap in geological time within the collection. The Division of Paleontology at AMNH was awarded a three year Institute of Museum and Library Services grant (#MA 30-15-0491-15) for the curation of the collection. Since 2015, the curation has reached completion, with 2018 being the last year of concentrated effort to accomplish the goals of the project.

In the grant’s final year, the curation focused on rehousing, cataloging, and digitizing the remainder of the collection, including type specimens. We were able to complete the remainder of the collection by processing 6,988 specimen lots, part of the 21,534 specimen records databased over the three years.

Additionally, the Mapes collection contains ~700 type and figured specimens, the curation of which occurred in 2018. This proved to be a time-consuming endeavor due to a larger amount of data input compared to non-type specimens, and the unpredictable organization of specimen records. Thus, curation of this collection required the use of creative problem solving, concerted team effort, and effective time management to maximize efficiency.

This project has ensured the preservation and longevity of the Mapes collection, improving its accessibility, as well as contributing to the comprehensiveness of the museum’s total collection. Researchers will ultimately be able to access detailed specimen information through iDigBio, and conduct studies which provide insight into the diversity and evolution of marine invertebrates.