Herpetology
The herpetology collection houses two major groups of vertebrates that, by tradition, are studied under the discipline of Herpetology; these are amphibians and reptiles.
Representation of the morphological diversity of some of the groups preserved in the MNCN.
Amphibians constitute a prominent zoological group due to presenting a set of unique characteristics among terrestrial vertebrates. The presence of metamorphosis, larval stage, diversified reproductive systems, cutaneous respiration, permeable and glandular skin, dependence on moist environments to complete their life cycle, communication systems, and the conservation threats and problems they face are some of the characteristics that have caught the attention of biologists throughout generations. Currently, amphibians encompass around 8,223 species and are represented by three major morphologically distinct groups: (1) Gymnophiona (generally known as caecilians), which include 214 species distributed in tropical regions, (2) Caudata (newts and salamanders), comprising 759 species distributed across the Holarctic and neotropical regions, and (3) Anura (frogs and toads), the most diverse and widely distributed group, with 7,250 species.
Two nearly extinct species, threatened by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and preserved at the MNCN. The specimen on the left, Telmatobius culeus, represents the oldest case detected with the presence of chytrid in amphibians. On the right, Atelopus ignescens, once abundant in the paramos of Quito and surrounding areas (Ecuador).
On the other hand, reptiles or sauropsids are a group of amniotes that, excluding birds, comprise 11,341 species distributed among the groups Rhynchocephalia (tuataras) with one species, Crocodylia with 26, Testudines with 360, and Squamata (scaled reptiles) with 10,954 species including lizards, amphisbaenians, and snakes. This last group is particularly relevant in the field of medicine as some of them, albeit a minority, are capable of synthesizing venom.
The Herpetology Collection of the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) houses over 70,000 specimens, including 751 species of amphibians and 918 species of reptiles. The type material housed includes 723 specimens of amphibians and reptiles, corresponding to 104 taxa. The specimens are mainly preserved in fluid (70% ethanol, except for amphibian larvae, which are kept in 10% formalin). The remaining preserved material is grouped into (1) the collection of disarticulated skeletons preserved dry, consisting of 2,900 specimens, (2) the collection of transparentized and stained specimens, totaling 3,613 specimens preserved in glycerin, and (3) the collection of historically valuable but less utilized naturalized specimens, consisting of 182 reptile specimens.
The collection originated in 1771, in the Natural History cabinet founded by King Carlos III after acquiring the collection of Pedro Franco Dávila. Among the first specimens preserved in the collection are some naturalized crocodiles referenced by the first dissector of the cabinet, Juan Bautista Bru, in 1784, and the marine turtles Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758), Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758), and Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1758), sent from Cuba by the naturalist Antonio Parra between 1788 and 1793.
A small sample of the naturalized specimens exhibited in the Royal Cabinet of Natural History at the MNCN.
The preserved material mainly originates from the Iberian Peninsula and also from North Africa, South America, the Philippines, and Equatorial Guinea, territories where there was traditionally Spanish presence. In this context, the collection has been enriched by significant contributions from scientific expeditions, such as the Pacific Scientific Commission (1862-1865), where species described by Jiménez de la Espada stand out, many of whose type specimens are part of the collection, and those carried out within the framework of the Permanent Commission for the Study of Northwest Africa in the early 1900s, where the material collected by Manuel Martínez de la Escalera stands out, which provided material from both Morocco and Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni).
Holotype of Nototrema testudineum Jiménez de la Espada, 1870, collected during the Pacific Scientific Commission. Currently classified as Gastrotheca testudinea.
The collection has continued to grow with contributions from herpetologists such as Eduardo Boscá between 1879 and 1882, or more recently from museum researchers (Borja Sanchíz, Ignacio De la Riva, Alfredo Salvador, Mario García París, Rafael Márquez, among others), as well as significant donations and exchanges with other research centers or museums.
Sample of some of the specimens received through various exchanges with other institutions. A) Aparasphenodon brunoi (Miranda Ribeiro, 1920), B) Phyllomedusa burmeisteri (Boulenger, 1882), C) Itapotihyla lagsdorffii (Duméril and Bibron, 1841), D) Boana faber (Wied-Neuwied, 1821), E) Proceratophrys boiei (Wied-Neuwied, 1824).
Featured pieces
Exemplary type
Collection staff
Conservadores
Marta Calvo Revuelta
mcalvo@mncn.csic.es
Alberto Sánchez Vialas
albertosv@mncn.csic.es
Responsable científico
Ignacio De la Riva
iriva@mncn.csic.es