University Museum: Zoological Collections
The zoological collections
The zoological collections at NTNU University Museum hold as of April 2020 1,040,000 physical objects, in the different subcollections.
The oldest samples are from Bishop Gunnerus' activity in the 1760s, but the most important development has been since the 1960s. Representation of groups of organisms reflect who has been curators, and their field of expertise and research field. Throughout this time collections have grown also from donations from private collectors.
Our role as a university museum is to document our natural heritage through mapping biological diversity and collect specimens in geographical representative areas as documentation. This is also important to document changes in biological diversity over time.
Molecular tools and genetic analyses of DNA and RNA are increasingly important in modern biodiversity research. Resulting from Department of Natural History's increased activity, the NTNU University Museum has established a DNA and tissue collection in ultra-freezers (-80°C). Our contribution towards building a library of DNA barcodes for species has also generated a large number of voucher specimens (34,000 as of June 2020), as physical objects for DNA barcodes being available in open public databases.
The zoological type collection holds about 820 object of type specimens used in original descriptions of species new to science. These are of special importance for taxonomic research.
An overview of occurrences from the zoological collections at NTNU University Museum is available at GBIF and the national portal Artskart
Contacts:
Associate professor Torkild Bakken
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
Vertebrates
Fish
The collection of fish at the NTNU University Museum dates to the 1860's. The collection contains both freshwater and marine fish. Almost all objects are preserved in ethanol.
The marine part of the collection is small and dates to a period with research on marine fish at the museum, corresponding with when exploration and mapping of marine environments in central Norway started, initially the Trondheimsfjord, but later also coastal areas outside the fjord.
The freshwater part of the collection is larger and dates mainly from late 1960's and up to today. This part of the collection contains mainly of anadromous salmonid species (Salmo salar and Salmo trutta, 65 % of the total fish collection). This is due to the museum being involved in numerous projects investigating the effects of Norwegian freshwater systems being used for hydropower production.
Today’s collection covers most of the species found in the coastal areas and freshwater systems of central Norway. It contains a total of 248 species.
The geographic coverage of the objects in this collection is mainly Norwegian mainland, Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Within Norway mainland the majority of objects collected origins from central Norway.
Contacts:
Associate professor Torkild Bakken (marine fish)
Associate professor Jan G. Davidsen (freshwater fish)
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Fish collection NTNU University Museum
Birds
The bird collection at the NTNU University Museum dates back to approximately 1800. It consists mainly of physical objects from the Norwegian mainland, but also contains a small historic collection of birds collected between 1860 and 1910 from all over the world (app. 450 objects). This historic collection includes many species which today are endangered, threatened or extinct.
The collection consists mainly of mounted objects and skins, but there are also some skeletons, skulls and objects preserved in ethanol. From the latest years there are also cryo-preserved tissue samples of almost all new objects.
Most objects in our bird collection are collected from the Norwegian mainland, the majority being from Central Norway.
Contacts:
Associate professor Andy Foote
Taxidermist Per Gätzschmann
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Bird collection NTNU University Museum
Mammals
Today’s collection covers most of the mammalian species found in Norway.
The geographic coverage of the objects in this collection is mainly Norwegian mainland. Within Norway the majority of objects collected originates from Central Norway.
Contacts:
Associate professor Andy Foote
Taxidermist Per Gätzschmann
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Mammal collection NTNU University Museum
Herpetiles (amphibians and reptiles)
The collection of herpetiles (amphibians and reptiles) at the NTNU University Museum dates to the 1860’s. The collection consists mainly of objects preserved in ethanol, but also contains a few mounted objects and skeletons. The collection includes a small historic collection of herpetiles collected between 1868 and 1915 from different parts of the world (approximately 200 objects).
Today’s collection covers the reptilian and amphibian species found in Norway (11 species). It also includes more than 30 species from other countries.
The geographic coverage of the objects in this collection is mainly Norwegian mainland. Within Norway, the majority of the objects collected originates from central and southern Norway.
Contacts:
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Herpetile collection NTNU University Museum
Invertebrates
Freshwater benthic invertebrates
The freshwater benthic invertebrates collection is one of the larger collections at the NTNU University Museum and dates back to the 1960’s. The collection consists of objects preserved in ethanol and also data from sampling events not documented with physical objects.
Sampling activities contributing preserved specimens to this collection have been related to the development of protection plans for watercourses, mapping effects of anthropogenic impacts like hydropower regulations, changes in land use along watercourses, rotenone treatments and mine contamination and regional mapping of species and nature types.
Todays’ collection covers the taxonomical groups Annelida, Coleoptera, Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Acari, Crustacea and Mollusca and includes more than 450 species.
The geographic coverage is essentially watercourses in central and northern Norway. The collection has samples from more than 1 500 localities (rivers, streams, lakes and ponds).
Contacts:
Professor Torbjørn Ekrem
Associate professor Frode Ødegaard
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Freshwater benthic invertebrates ecological collection NTNU University Museum
Freshwater zooplankton
The freshwater zooplankton collection at the NTNU University Museum dates to the 1950’s. The collection consists of objects preserved in ethanol and data from sampling events not documented with physical objects.
Sampling activities contributing preserved specimens to this collection has been related to activities such as the development of protection plans for watercourses, mapping effects of anthropogenic impacts like hydropower regulations, changes in land use along watercourses, rotenone treatments and mine contamination and regional mapping of species and nature types.
The most important taxonomic groups in today’s collection are Cladocera, Copepoda and Rotifera and includes more than 130 species.
The geographic coverage is essentially watercourses in central and northern Norway. The collections have samples from more than 1 000 localities (lakes and ponds).
Contacts:
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Freshwater pelagic invertebrates ecological collection NTNU University Museum
Marine invertebrates
The marine invertebrate collections are one of the larger collections at the NTNU University Museum and date back to the activities initiated by Bishop Johan Ernst Gunnerus in the 1760's. Only a handful of specimens in the collection date back to this period. From around 1870 an exploration and mapping of marine environments in central Norway started, initially in the Trondheimsfjord, but later included coastal areas outside the fjord.
Sampling activities contributing preserved specimens have been at irregular intervals since the 1870s, and impact in number of objects and taxa represented has mainly been a result of several large projects. Apart from larger sampling programmes, small and single collecting activities has taken place over the period since the start. As of November 2020, the collection holds about 108,000 objects. The major part of the collection consists of objects preserved in ethanol, but the oldest parts of the collection consist of mainly dry prepared objects.
The geographic span of the records are mainly Norwegian waters. Within Norwegian waters a majority originate in the central part of Norway, including the 600 m deep Trondheimsfjord, and the coastal areas outside the fjord. In addition, there are samples from along the Norwegian coast, primarily north of the Trondheimsfjord, also representing the deep-sea areas in the Norwegian Sea, and from Svalbard. Samples from international marine environments are mainly from neighbouring Nordic countries. But also a number of samples from the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic, resulting from the Norwegian Tristan da Cunha Expedition 1937-38.
All major animal phyla are represented, but it is obvious from the holdings that some groups are overrepresented compared to others. This reflects the taxonomic expertise among the staff since Vilhelm Storm started exploring the Trondheimsfjord in the 1870s.
Norwegian waters have been important for describing new species in the early days of natural history explorations, thus representing type localities for a range of marine species described from the 18th century onwards. The collections at NTNU University Museum holds several type specimens, including from Tristan da Cunha.
Contacts:
Associate professor Torkild Bakken
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Marine invertebrate collection NTNU University Museum
Terrestrial and liminic invertebrates
The terrestrial and liminic invertebrates systematic collections at the NTNU University Museum dates back to activities initiated by Bishop Johan Ernst Gunnerus in the 1760's and objects from Bjarne Lysholm’s collection of Coleoptera from around 1880-1939. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1960's and up to today and includes the Lepidoptera collection of Carl Fredrik Lühr and Runar Krogen, the Coleoptera collections of Karl Erik Zachariassen and Dagfinn Refseth. A recent acquisition of approximately 160 000 identified specimens came from Frode Ødegaard’s collection previously hosted at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.
Today's collection covers most of the major groups of invertebrates with Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera as the largest parts of the collections (approximately 40 %, 20 %, 10 % and 7 % respectively in 2017). Some groups are overrepresented compared to others. This reflects the taxonomic expertise among the staff since the first regular employee in the 1840's and donations of private collections.
The collection includes objects from all other continents except Antarctica. Examples from other parts of the world are chironomids from America, Africa, Europe and Asia, a historic circumpolar collection of Coleoptera. Coleoptera from Central America, Australia, southern Europe, Africa and Papua New Guinea. There is also a smaller collection of Lepidoptera from Malawi and a collection of terrestrial molluscs from Madeira, Cuba and some other countries.
Contacts:
Professor Torbjørn Ekrem
Associate professor Frode Ødegaard
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker
GBIF dataset: Terrestrial and limnic invertebrates systematic collection, NTNU University Museum
Type specimen collection
When a species is described as new to science, a selected representative specimen is used as the basis of the description of this species. These specimens are called type specimens. The Holotype is the name bearer for the named species. There are different categories of type specimens. Type specimens are very important in taxonomic work in general, when groups of species are revised, new species are described, and in research in systematics in general. Because type specimens are very important, it is of especially importance they are taken good care of.
Our type specimen collection consists mainly of marine invertebrates and insects. A quantity of these types specimens are from Tristan da Cunha, from an expedition the NTNU University Museum participated in 1937-38.
Contacts:
Associate professor Torkild Bakken
Collection manager Karstein Hårsaker