Abstract:
Mecklenburg, C. W., T. A. Mecklenburg, B. A. Sheiko, and N. V. Chernova. 4 July 2006. Arctic marine fish museum specimens. Database submitted to ArcOD, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks by Point Stephens Research, P.O. Box 210307, Auke Bay, Alaska 99821 USA. This data set contains 3,102 records: the results of an evaluation of Arctic marine fish specimens in museums and ... other permanent collections for the primary purpose of determining geographic distributions of species. Many specimens in historical collections are misidentified, and the misidentifications prevent accurate determination of species distributions. Recent systematic reviews and syntheses of information on identification and taxonomy of North Pacific and Arctic fishes, as well as our experience working on taxonomy of Arctic fish species, allow us to correct misidentifications and reevaluate species distributions. At each museum we examine specimens with questionable identifications, such as specimens collected from localities outside the species published geographic ranges. We also examine a random sample of specimens of each species from each cruise or other collection activity. Identifications are changed to correct misidentifications and to bring the taxonomic nomenclature up to date (such as changing an old name or junior synonym to the current name or senior synonym). We also proof and correct locality data against cruise records and published station data; and add other types of information to the database that have not previously been made available; e.g., habitat and physical parameters (vegetation, bottom type, bottom depth, temperature, salinity, etc.) for University of British Columbia specimens, which are not posted online with their other specimen data. Each database record, designated by a unique museum reference number, contains data on one museum lot. A lot can contain one or more specimens. The first edition of the database contains 3,102 records from North American and Russian institutions: California Academy of Sciences (120 records); Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks (30); Museum of the Institute of Marine Biology, Vladivostok, Russia (3); Museum of the Moscow State University, Russia (46); Point Stephens Research, Auke Bay, Alaska (55); U.S. National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. (219); University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks (155); University of British Columbia, Vancouver (912); University of Washington, Seattle (748); and Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia (814). Development of the database has been funded primarily by NOAA, Arctic Research Office, through the Russian-American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA), and the Arctic Ocean Diversity (ArcOD) program (University of Alaska Fairbanks) of the Census of Marine Life. Population of the database is ongoing. Records will be added at least until the end of International Polar Year activities (2009), the Census of Marine Life program (2010), and the Russian-American Long-Term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA; joint program of NOAA and Russian Academy of Sciences with activities currently planned through 2012). See http://www.ipy.org/development/eoi/details.php?id=1087) Thousands more existing museum specimens need to be evaluated and added, as well as specimens to be deposited in museums after ongoing and future cruises.
Purpose:
To provide a database of reliable records of occurrence for assessing geographic distribution of species.
Quality
ATTRIBUTE ACCURACY REPORT: Users with special concerns regarding data precision or accuracy, particularly regarding taxonomic determinations and geographic referencing, should communicate these concerns to the database creators.
LOGICAL CONSISTENCY REPORT: The museum, museum lot number, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, scientific name, and common name are the only data ... consistently included.
COMPLETENESS REPORT: As with any body of data on biodiversity, the museum voucher records constitute positive information only. Absence of a record in any region or location or at any time does not mean absence of the species. It could indicate incomplete regional coverage in sampling or evaluation of specimens. Empty cells indicate lack of data, not zero.
VERTICAL POSITIONAL ACCURACY REPORT: Positions are not our direct measurements, but are taken from museum records, publications reporting research cruise station data, and station data provided from the bridge or our data recorders for cruises in which we participated. Therefore they can only be as accurate as those records.
Access Constraints
None
Please do not telephone. Please send written inquiries to: ptstephens@alaska.com
Use Constraints
When using information from this database that differs from information given for the same specimens in online museum fish collection search applications or printed catalogs, please cite this edition of the database (Mecklenburg et al. 2006). Since revisions are continually being made, we advise checking with the database creators to learn of any changes affecting data of interest. The database is ... not to be distributed to third parties.
ArcOD shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (i.e. GIF or JPG format files) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. The related graphics are intended to aid the data user in acquiring relevant data; it is not appropriate to use the related graphics as data. The National Park Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from an NPS server and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at the National Park Service, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on other systems for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data.
Mecklenburg, C. W., T. A. Mecklenburg, B. A. Sheiko, and N. V. Chernova. 4 July 2006. Arctic marine fish museum specimens. Database submitted to ArcOD, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks by Point Stephens Research, P.O. Box 210307, Auke Bay, Alaska 99821 USA.
