Lessons learned and recommendations Natural history museum collections are important repositories of information, constituting, along with the data provided on the specimen labels and museum registers, an historic record of biological diversity that can be used to document changes in distribution and abundance of species.
Museum specimens are essential for correct identification,and old specimens can be critical for re-evaluation of names and identities of organisms. New scientific methods such as genetics can often reveal the need for name changes for species.
I studied old Australian fish collections made by Francis de Castelnau (1810-1880), a widely travelled naturalist and French diplomat who for more than 15 years collected, described and illustrated for the first time many important Australian fish species, most of which were sent to Paris and have been little studied for nearly 150 years.
The value of visiting museums to search for and examine the specimens and associated information in their collections was highlighted particularly at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (the French National Museum of Natural History) which has the largest collection of Castelnau’s Australian fish specimens, including many important type-specimens (from which his new species were described and named).
My examination of these specimens, together with the original species descriptions, catalogue entries and archival material, and comparison with original unpublished fish paintings by Castelnau, only recently discovered in the Melbourne Museum, has greatly clarified the taxonomic status of many species, and has also resulted in the re-identification of others.
I would encourage other researchers to take the time to examine often overlooked old museum collections of Australian organisms, particularly type-specimens in museums in Europe and elsewhere. There are still many surprises and discoveries to be made, and valuable information to be discovered.
I cannot emphasise enough the importance of appreciating the historical context of taxonomic work and recommend that researchers fully embrace all the information that museums, libraries and archives have to offer.
Related work in London and Belgium greatly benefitted the project overall. Building flexibility into my itinerary and extending my visit in Europe beyond my six-week Fellowship permitted me to take up additional opportunities as they arose.
The opportunity to totally immerse myself in Castelnau’s collections in Paris, together with access to some of the best libraries and archives in Europe, was an intense and invaluable experience that enabled me to complete an enormous amount of work in a relatively short time frame, which would otherwise not have been possible.
To rediscover Castelnau’s collections and uncover new information and insights has been an immensely rewarding personal experience that I hope will make a significant and lasting scientific contribution to Australian natural history.
Keywords: Ichthyologist, specimens, Type-specimens, taxonomy, Castelnau, archival records.
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