The Yale Peabody Museum’s Division of Vertebrate Zoology has within its herpetology
holdings a collection of amphibian larvae from many taxa and geographic
areas, spanning approximately one century. These specimens are
typically cataloged as lots, so that many individuals comprise a single
catalogued unit.
As
a result of a 2003 grant from the Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection to sort this collection, and to identify each
specimen as to species and developmental stage, the Division can now
say that its collection of amphibian larvae contains 1,460 specimen
lots (over 9,000 individual larvae) representing at least 46 taxa from
at least 15 countries.
Perhaps what is most impressive about the amphibian larvae collection is that it has 657 lots of the Eastern Spadefoot Toad tadpole (Scaphiopus holbrookii) that number well over 5,000 individuals, collected from a few sites in Connecticut by Stanley C. Ball
in the 1930s. This species is nearly extinct in Connecticut now, and
even at the time of his studies Dr. Ball was aware of its decline. Many
of his study sites did not have water long enough for tadpoles to
complete metamorphosis. Even more of these ponds were drained or filled
in by municipal organizations within a 3-year period of Ball’s studies.
In his letters and notes he often lamented that this species might not
survive, and he worked as hard as he could to understand the animal and
to teach appreciation for it. Today all of Dr. Ball’s original study
sites are lost to development. Only the specimens he collected remain
as proof that this amazing species once lived there.
See also Postilla 232, “A Catalog of Larval Amphibia in the Yale Peabody Museum,” G.J. Watkins-Colwell and T.A.A.M. Leenders, 2004.
The Yale Peabody Museum’s collections are available to legitimate
researchers for scholarly use. Loans are issued to responsible
individuals at established institutions. Loans and access to the
collection can be arranged through the Collections Manager.
Volunteer Opportunities | Support the Peabody
