An Examination of the University of Central Oklahoma Natural History Museum: Caribbean Aquatic Invertebrate Collection

Abstract

The Invertebrate Section of the University of Central Oklahoma Natural History Museum (UCONHM) hosts a large and diverse assemblage of specimens, including the Caribbean Aquatic Invertebrates Collection. This special collection contains specimens collected by David Bass and several colleagues, beginning in 1990 and continuing through today. These invertebrates were encountered in a variety of aquatic habitats including ponds, lakes, reservoirs, streams, rivers, springs, caves, groundwaters, and phylotelmata throughout the Caribbean region. Most specimens have been identified to the genus level while others have been identified to the species level. To date, almost 400 collections have been made from 16 small Caribbean islands, resulting in 231 taxa being documented. Species similarity comparisons between the pairs of islands revealed the greatest values occurred with islands in close proximity to each other and having similar terrain. Dominant groups included arthropods and mollusks. Most of these collections represent the only research efforts examining the aquatic invertebrate fauna on many of these islands, thus, making this collection quite unique. Specimens are often loaned to other researchers for inclusion in their studies. In addition, more than 20 publications have resulted from specimens deposited in this collection.