The AMNH contains the second-largest collection of
scorpions, and the largest collection of minor arachnid
orders, in North America. The myriapod collections are
also among the largest in North America. The collections
include a worldwide representation of arachnid and
myriapod taxa, with a strong emphasis on material from
North America and elsewhere in the New World. The
majority of specimens are preserved in ethanol, although
large collections of slide-mounted Acari and
pseudoscorpions are also represented. A small quantity of
unsorted dried material, mostly from South America, is in
the process of being rehydrated and transferred to
ethanol.
Historically, scorpions comprise the second largest component of the AMNH Arachnid and Myriapod Collections, after spiders. Currently comprising over 30,000 specimen-lots, including several hundred type specimens, the AMNH has the fourth-largest scorpion collection in the world, including a vast array of New and Old World taxa. Several thousand specimens from South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, including numerous undescribed species, remain to be sorted and identified. Particular strengths of the collections are in New World, and especially North American families. The AMNH has one of the two largest collections of vaejovid scorpions in the world (the California Academy of Sciences has the other). It incorporates the Oscar F. Francke collection, rich in vaejovid and iurid material from Mexico and the southwestern USA, and containing many large series collected by UV light detection, but also containing material from elsewhere. It also incorporates the Willis J. Gertsch collection, containing a significant amount of material from Mexico and the southwestern U.S.A.
The AMNH Arachnid and Myriapod Collections are continually being augmented with new material collected by AMNH staff, or acquired as donations or purchases. Recent acquisition of the Alexis Harington collection (ca. 6,500 specimens), the Lorenzo Prendini collection (ca. 2,000 specimens), and continuing fieldwork by Prendini and his research group has vastly expanded the AMNH holdings of scorpions, minor arachnid orders and myriapods. Collectively, the ca. 20,000 specimens obtained by Prendini and his research group since 2002 has more than doubled Museum holdings of amblypygids, schizomids, solifuges, and uropygids, and increased Museum holdings of scorpions by more than a third.
Southern African scorpions are particularly well represented in the Alexis Harington collection, which comprises a more representative sample than most southern African collections. All families, genera, and most species of southern African scorpions are represented, including any rare or seldom collected species. Most species are represented by series from multiple localities, many representing new records and/or range extensions. In addition, there are reasonable holdings of extralimital African taxa, and taxa from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania. Material acquired from fieldwork in Central Asia comprises endemic and rarely collected scorpions and solifuges, and represents the largest collections of these taxa ever made, not to mention the only collections of these taxa existing outside of the former Soviet Union. Material acquired during recent expeditions to Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America also includes large series of endemic and rarely collected amblypygids, opilionids, schizomids, scorpions, solifuges and uropygids—the first collections of many of these taxa existing ouside of the countries in question. These collections form the basis of an active field and laboratory research program, headed by Prendini, whose current research focuses on the systematics of scorpions, especially in the Afrotropical region.
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Historically, scorpions comprise the second largest component of the AMNH Arachnid and Myriapod Collections, after spiders. Currently comprising over 30,000 specimen-lots, including several hundred type specimens, the AMNH has the fourth-largest scorpion collection in the world, including a vast array of New and Old World taxa. Several thousand specimens from South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, including numerous undescribed species, remain to be sorted and identified. Particular strengths of the collections are in New World, and especially North American families. The AMNH has one of the two largest collections of vaejovid scorpions in the world (the California Academy of Sciences has the other). It incorporates the Oscar F. Francke collection, rich in vaejovid and iurid material from Mexico and the southwestern USA, and containing many large series collected by UV light detection, but also containing material from elsewhere. It also incorporates the Willis J. Gertsch collection, containing a significant amount of material from Mexico and the southwestern U.S.A.
The AMNH Arachnid and Myriapod Collections are continually being augmented with new material collected by AMNH staff, or acquired as donations or purchases. Recent acquisition of the Alexis Harington collection (ca. 6,500 specimens), the Lorenzo Prendini collection (ca. 2,000 specimens), and continuing fieldwork by Prendini and his research group has vastly expanded the AMNH holdings of scorpions, minor arachnid orders and myriapods. Collectively, the ca. 20,000 specimens obtained by Prendini and his research group since 2002 has more than doubled Museum holdings of amblypygids, schizomids, solifuges, and uropygids, and increased Museum holdings of scorpions by more than a third.
Southern African scorpions are particularly well represented in the Alexis Harington collection, which comprises a more representative sample than most southern African collections. All families, genera, and most species of southern African scorpions are represented, including any rare or seldom collected species. Most species are represented by series from multiple localities, many representing new records and/or range extensions. In addition, there are reasonable holdings of extralimital African taxa, and taxa from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania. Material acquired from fieldwork in Central Asia comprises endemic and rarely collected scorpions and solifuges, and represents the largest collections of these taxa ever made, not to mention the only collections of these taxa existing outside of the former Soviet Union. Material acquired during recent expeditions to Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America also includes large series of endemic and rarely collected amblypygids, opilionids, schizomids, scorpions, solifuges and uropygids—the first collections of many of these taxa existing ouside of the countries in question. These collections form the basis of an active field and laboratory research program, headed by Prendini, whose current research focuses on the systematics of scorpions, especially in the Afrotropical region.