Collection Data

Page Contents: Section | Significance | Background | Location & Dates | Taxonomic Contents | Documentation | Description of Collection | Collection Inventory | Collection Assets

Bocas del Toro, Panama 2003 and 2005

Section Responsible for Processing

MBC

Significance

The Smithsonian's Caribbean Bocas del Toro Marine Station is a relatively new facility situated in one of the regions most diverse marine areas. Dr. Rachel Collin, the Station Director, held a series of 3 taxonomic workshops to document the flora and fauna of the region. NHMLAC researchers Dr. Kirk Fitzhugh (Curator, Polychaetes), Leslie Harris (Collection Manager, Polychaetes), and Dr. Gordon Hendler (Curator, Echinoderms) participated in the first workshop. Dr. Angel Valdes (Curator, Molluscs) attended the second workshop, and L. Harris and Todd Haney (Graduate Student, Crustacea) returned for the third workshop. Preliminary work from the first two workshops identified nearly 1200 species of invertebrates, twice the the number previously recorded for the area, and the inventory included many new undescribed or unreported genera and species.

Collectors included: C. Diaz, G. Hendler, G. Jacome, J. Norenburg, J. Sanchez, K. Fitzhugh, M. Salazar, M. Schwarz, R. Collin, R. Rocha, S. De Grave, S. LeCroy, S. Richardson, T. Haney, W. Keel, W. Pomares
with participation by A. Castillo and J. Sanchez.

Background

Dr. Collin was the PI for the workshops which was funded by the Smithsonian Marine Science Network. Results of the first two workshops were summarized in a special issue of the Caribbean Journal of Science. So far two papers have been authored or co-authored by NHMLAC curators. The entire issue and a species database can be found at http://www.stri.org/english/research/facilities/marine/bocas_del_toro/

Hendler, G. 2005. Two new brittle star species of the genus Ophiothrix (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Ophiotrichidae) from coral reefs in the southern Caribbean Sea, with notes on their biology. Caribbean Journal of Science 41(3): 583-599.

Collin, R., Diaz, M.C., Norenburg, J., Rocha, R.M., Sanchez, J.A., Schulze, A., Schwartz, M., Valdes, A. 2005. Photographic identification guide to some common marine invertebrates of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Caribbean Journal of Science 41(3): 638-707.

Collection Location and Dates

A map and list of collecting sites for 2003 and 2004 can be found in Collin (2005). Collecting locations for 2005 were similar. Both the 2003 and 2005 workshops occurred in August. The two main collecting areas were Bahia Almirante and Laguna de Chiriqui. Habitats sampled were primarily coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves with collection made from the intertidal to ~80 feet.

Collin, R. 2005. Ecological monitoring and biodiversity surveys at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Bocas del Toro Research Station. Caribbean Journal of Science 41(3): 367-373.
http://caribjsci.org/dec05%20Special%20issue/41_367-373.pdf

Taxonomic Contents

The collection contains polychaetes (681 lots) and crustaceans (159 lots), molluscs (49 lots), echinoderms (25 lots), and a few fish and flatworms (3 lots each).

Documentation

Separate field notebooks are held by Harris, Haney, Hendler, Valdes, and Fitzhugh in their respective offices with some electronic files with Harris.

Station data used in the MBPC database may differ from the station data published in Collin (2005). Field personnel split into teams to sample at different localities within each general area listed in Collin (2005). Most of the database information is based on field notes and GPS records provided by LACNHM specimen collectors.

Description of Collection

The collection described here consists of what Harris sorted and brought back to the LACNHM. Material brought back by the others is not included here. The entire collection is wet preserved. Ninety-five percent (95%) was preserved in 5% formalin and the remainder is in either 70% ethanol or 95% ethanol. The entire collection has been transferred to new preservative, museum glassware, and shelved. All polychaetes have been identified to family and some to genus and species. Other invertebrates have been left at class or order although full identifications for some molluscs and crustaceans have been obtained by Harris.

Collection Inventory

Approximately 930 lots were brought back from the field. Some of the field lots have been further sorted and separated into various taxa.

Collection Assets

Date View or Retrieve File Information
11/24/2014 Retrieve [3177.0 kB] Collin, R. et al. 2005. Photographic identification guide to some common marine invertebrates of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Caribbean Journal of Science 41(3): 638-707.
12/06/2009 View [550.4 kB] Gordon Hendler at microscope, photo by Leslie Harris.
12/06/2009 View [413.5 kB] Gordon Hendler’s haul, photo by Leslie Harris.
12/06/2009 View [383.8 kB] Field station, photo by Leslie Harris.
12/06/2009 View [471.9 kB] Lab, photo by Leslie Harris.
12/06/2009 View [221.4 kB] Samples, photo by Leslie Harris.
12/06/2009 View [270.1 kB] Worms in bags, photo by Leslie Harris.
10/06/2008 Retrieve [308.8 kB] Collin, R. 2005. Ecological monitoring and biodiversity surveys at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Bocas del Toro Research Station. Caribbean Journal of Science 41(3): 367-373.
10/06/2008 Retrieve [53.5 kB] Original raw data file 2.
10/06/2008 Retrieve [53.5 kB] Original raw data file.

Curatorial Status (Click to view)