More About the Diatom Collections
The core research collection was founded upon the collections of nineteenth- and early twentieth century [amateur] diatomists, and includes material from as early as 1771. Many additional collections have been contributed by diatomists working on all continents.
Slides are catalogued both geographically and taxonomically; the geographic file is computerized. There are several other important collection resources. Unique in the world is the "New Species File," or Taxon Record, which includes 133,000 5X7 cards with information on new descriptions and combinations of diatoms, including illustrations, from the 1930's to the present. The Bibliography File, includes approximately 60,000 3X5 cards with references to articles about diatoms. The majority of these references are part of the Herbarium's extensive library. There is also a card file of references containing SEM and TEM images of diatoms and a card file summarizing diatom ecological data gleaned from the literature.
Special Collections
The Diatom Herbarium has a large number of special collections of slides and or materials. Each is named after the diatomist who put that particular collection together. These collections were given to the Diatom Herbarium by the diatomist him/herself, or by one of their family members. Several collections include slides and/or materials of other diatomists or the collections may have been part of a larger collection of another individual. The slides may have been prepared to typify a particular species or to be an example of an assemblage from a particular geographic locality. Some specific details about collections are listed below. For a more complete list, consult: the International Survey of Diatoms Collections under the name "Philadelphia-ANSP".
| Collector/Collection | Size | Dates | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Febiger | 5215 slides | 1817-1892 | Exsiccati. Member of the Academy from 1866-1892. |
| John A. Schulze | 5125 slides | na | Collection of slides and clean & uncleaned material from Europe, the Pacific Ocean, Asia minor, the Americas (with many specifically from North America). |
| Charles S. Boyer | 5615 slides | 1856-1928 | Collected while at the Academy; unique collection. Donated by Mrs. Charles Boyer after his death. His collections were used to write "Diatoms of North American" as well as "Diatoms of Philadelphia and Vicinity". |
| Rabenhorst exsiccati set | from the Missouri Botanical Garden | ||
| Pease collection | several thousand slides from Penn State University | ||
| N. Foged | Slides from Denmark and elsewhere | ||
| McCail | Slides from Scotland and elsewhere | ||
| Manguin | Slides from France and elsewhere | ||
| Pergallo | 1175 slides | Exsiccati | |
| Tempère & Pergallo | 1675 slides | Exsiccati. | |
| H.L. Smith | 701 slides | 1870-1890 | Worked from 1870-1890. This is Smith's original collection of slides on which he identified the diatoms which were recorded on the labels of the many exsiccatae he produced. This collection was purchased by F.J. Keeley and has an accompanying letter certifying that this is Smith's original collection. This is a part of F.J. Keeley's collection. |
| William Smith | 320 slides | 1808-1857 | Primarily slides of British Diatoms. Not the specific collection used to create his British Diatomaceae work, but one of several exsicatae he had made up. Name of one species per slide, with collection locality in Britain. |
| Cleve and Möller | 324 slides | 1877-1882 | Upsala. Collection of slides and material from many other individuals as well. Each slide lists one main species and often other forms which are present. |
| Eulenstein | part of Febiger Collection | ||
| The General Collection | >95,000 slides | Collection of slides and types from all over the world. In the collection are slides from M.A. Booth, D.B. Ward, Dr. Peticolis as well as many others. The collections of Christian Febiger are included in the General Collection at the Academy and include slides from Grunow, Gregory and A. Schmidt. The GC also includes the U.S.G.S. NAWQA Project material which consists of over 10,000 slides and corresponding vials of cleaned material collected 1993 - 2002 from rivers throughout the United States. |
Written queries should be sent to:
Dr. Marina Potapova
Diatom Herbarium
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1101