Ichthyology

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Foreword

Research Structures

Energy, Environment, and Biodiversity

Humanities and Ethics

Culture and Education

Society and Development

Information and Communication Technology

Biology and Health

Research Structures and Researchers

About

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A collection of discoveries

Research institutions in the United States, Argentina, and Brazil, including the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Museum of La Plata, and the Zoology Museum of USP, are among those that frequently borrow specimens stored at the Laboratory of Ichthyology of the PUCRS Museum of Sciences and Technology. With 480,000 fish specimens grouped into 47,000 lots (97% georeferenced), the collection is among the most complete in Brazil in terms of organization and access to research, and its data are available for online consultation.

In addition to the large number of species, the available ichthyofauna is diversified, with 82% represented by freshwater species of South America, in particular Brazil, and 18% represented by marine species of the coast of Santa Catarina (Brazil) to the north of Uruguay. Annually, the coordinator Carlos Alberto Santos de Lucena and the other curators receive dozens of students, from undergraduate students to doctoral candidates, and Brazilian and foreign scientists for research mainly in phylogeny and taxonomy.

In the two-year period of 2010-2011, there were 83 loans of fishes to different institutions, supporting studies that include the recognition of new species for science. During this period, the Museum incorporated specimens that served as the basis for the description of 45 new species. Out of these, 24 were discovered and described by members of the laboratory or in partnership with external researchers. Among the new species, the majority inhabits Brazilian waters, yet some are found in Panama, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

The deposit of new specimens in the collection occurs in three ways: environmental surveys, the need to increase the representativeness of a particular taxon for research purposes, and joint expeditions with other institutions.

To encourage the training of new taxonomists several activities for the dissemination of information and scientific education are conducted, both with public expositions and in the laboratory and favors students in secondary education, freshmen, and students in the Biological Sciences Program.