Collections - Natural History

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	The Museum's Natural History collections are developed and maintained as a 'specimen library' of plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals for the province. Specimens are used for reference and research, in public and school programs, and in exhibitions. More than 200,000 specimens are stored in secure, climate-controlled conditions. As the provincial repository, a large portion of the Museum's collections is Manitoba material, but there are also many significant specimens from other parts of the world. • Overview of the collections • Publications • Public Inquiries


	Overview Botany About 40,000 plant specimens. The Museum's herbarium is the second largest in Manitoba. Of the approximately 1,600 species of vascular plants occurring in the province, about 1,400 are represented in the botany collections. The wood collection, some 2,200 specimens from around the world, is one of the largest in Canada. The Museum also has small seed, cone and fruit collections. Geology About 11,000 lots (batches). The geology collections emphasize minerals, and vertebrate and invertebrate fossils from throughout Manitoba and from other parts of the world. Minor collections include fossil plants, rocks, specimens of extraterrestrial origin, lapidary and economic geology. Herpetology About 700 lots. The herpetology collections include all 14 amphibian species known to occur in the province, as well as a few exotic species. The remainder of the collections represents all eight reptile species known to occur in Manitoba, and a number of exotic species. Ichthyology About 1,000 lots. The ichthyology collections include most of the freshwater and some of the marine fishes occurring in Manitoba waters. Life mounts represent 27 of the larger species of Manitoba fishes. A few exotic species are also included. Invertebrates About 80,000 specimens. Of the estimated 30,000 species of invertebrate animals believed to occur in Manitoba, probably 15% are represented in the collections. The largest part of the collections consists of insects, more than half of which are butterflies and moths. The non-marine mollusc collection is the largest in western Canada. Ornithology About 6,000 specimens. Of 369 bird species known to occur in the province, 345 are represented in the collections. The collections include life mounts, study skins, eggs, nests and skeletons. Mammalogy About 23,000 specimens. The Mammalogy Collections consist of skins, skulls, life mounts and skeletons. This is the third or fourth largest collection in Canada. The Collections include all of the 89 mammal species known to occur in the province (excluding humans).


	Publications Franzin, W. G., K. W. Stewart, G. F. Hanke, and L. Heuring. 2003 The fish and fisheries of Lake Winnipeg: the first 100 years. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, # 2398: 53 p Hanke, G.F. and V.N. Karatajute-Talimaa. 2002 Knerialepis, a proposed new generic name to replace Kneria Karatajute-Talimaa 1997. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 22(3): 703. Hanke, G.F. 2002. Paucicanthus vanelsti gen. et sp. nov., a Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) acanthodian that lacks paired fin-spines. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences: 1071-1083. Young, G.A. 2002. Fossil discoveries in the Churchill area, northern Manitoba. Alberta Palaeontological Society, Sixth Annual Symposium (Calgary), p. 64-68. Hanke, G.F., S.P. Davis, and M.V.H. Wilson. 2001. Description of a new Tetanopsyrus species comments on diplacanthid relationships. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 21(4): 740-753. Hanke, G.F., M.V.H. Wilson, and L.A. Lindoe. 2001. New species of Silurian acanthodians from the Mackenzie Mountains, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 38:1517-1529. Stewart, K.W., W.B. Franzin, B.R. McCulloch, and G.F. Hanke. 2001. Selected case histories of fish invasions into the Nelson River system in Canada. pp. 63-91. In: J.A. Leitch, and Tenamoc (editors). Science and Policy: Interbasin Water Transfer of Aquatic Biota. Institute for Regional Studies, North Dakota State University, Fargo. Young, G.A. and R.J. Elias. 2001. New data on Ordovician coral distribution and paleoenvironment in the Williston Basin, Manitoba. Canadian Paleontology Conference 2001, London (Ont.), Program and Abstracts No.11, p. 65-66. Young, G.A. and R.J. Elias. 2001. New localities shed fresh light: Late Ordovician coral faunas and environmental cycles in the Williston Basin, Manitoba, Canada. International Geological Correlation Program (IGCP), Project 410 Meeting, Riverside, California, Abstracts. Elias, R.J. and G.A. Young. 2001. Rugose coral morphology during a time of crisis: the latest Ordovician to earliest Silurian Edgewood Province in Laurentia. In, Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera, Sept. 12-16, 1999, Sendai, Japan. Tohoku University Museum, Bulletin, 1:34-40. Elias, R.J. and G.A. Young. 2001. Coral diversity in the Late Ordovician (Cincinnatian) of Laurentia. International Geological Correlation Program, Project 410 Meeting, Riverside, California, Abstracts. Elias, R.J. and G.A. Young. 2001. Ecologic structure of Late Ordovician (Cincinnatian) coral provinces in Laurentia. Canadian Paleontology Conference 2001, London (Ont.), Program and Abstracts No. 11, p. 22. Rudkin, D.M., G.A. Young, R.J. Elias, and E.P. Dobrzanski. 2001. The world’s biggest trilobite: a giant among arthropods. Third International Trilobite Conference, Oxford (England), Abstracts, p. 26. Soehn, K.L., T. Märss, G.F. Hanke, and M.V.H. Wilson. 2000. Preliminary vertebrate Biostratigraphy of the Avalanche lake sections (Wenlock, Silurian) southern Mackenzie Mountains, N.W.T., and review of northwestern Canadian vertebrate localities of Silurian age. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 223: 129-156. Elias, R. J. and G. A. Young. 2000. Enigmatic fossil encrusting an Upper Ordovician rocky shore on Hudson Bay, Canada, is a coral. Journal of Paleontology, 74:179-180. Elias, R. J. and G. A. Young. 2000. Morphology of rugose corals in a latest Ordovician to earliest Silurian post-extinction fauna. Canadian Paleontology Conference, Antigonish (Nova Scotia), Program and Abstracts No. 10, p.5. Johnson, Karen. 2000. Tiny, white and endangered. Manitoba Gardener, Winter:34-35. Rudkin, D. M., G. A. Young, R. J. Elias and E. P. Dobrzanski. 2000. The world’s biggest trilobite: a giant among arthropods. GeoCanada 2000, Calgary, Conference CD, Abstract 655. Rudkin, D. M., G. A. Young, R. J. Elias and E. P. Dobrzanski. 2000. The world’s biggest trilobite: a unique record of arthropod gigantism. Royal Ontario Museum, Twenty Second Annual Research Colloquium & Vaughan Lecture, Abstracts of Papers, p.3. Young G. A and R. J. Elias. 2000. Corals in the Upper Ordovician Stony Mountain formation of Manitoba: a record of pre-extinction faunal associations. Canadian Paleontology Conference, Antigonish (Nova Scotia), Program and Abstracts No. 10, p.20. Young, G. A. 2000. Finding the giant trilobite. Inuktitut Magazine, no. 88, p. 24-30. Young, G. A., R. J. Elias, G. S. Nowlan, E. P. Dobrzanski and D. M. Rudkin. 2000. Lower Paleozoic stratigraphy of the Churchill region, Manitoba: a progress report. GeoCanada 2000, Calgary, Conference CD, Abstract 654. Gagnier, P.-Y., G.F. Hanke, and M.V.H. Wilson. 1999. Tetanopsyrus lindoei gen. et sp. nov., an Early Devonian acanthodian from the Northwest Territories, Canada. Acta Geologica Polonica, 49: 81-96. Elias, R.J. and G.A. Young. 1998. Coral diversity, ecology and provincial structure during a time of crisis: the latest Ordovician to earliest Silurian Edgewood Province in Laurentia. Palaios, 13:98-112. McKillop, W.B., R.T. Patterson, S. Kroker, E. Neilsen and E.G. Reinhardt. 1997. Evidence for rapid avian-mediated foraminiferal colonization of Lake Winnipegosis, Manitoba, during the Holocene Hypsithermal. Journal of Paleolimnology. McKillop, W.B. and W.M. McKillop. 1997. Distribution Records for the Threespine Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus (Pisces: Gasterosteidae, in Manitoba) The Canadian Field Naturalist. 111(4): 662-664. Young, G.A. and R.J. Elias. 1997. Patterns of variation in Late Ordovician and Early Silurian tabulate corals. In, Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera, Madrid, Spain. Boletin de la Real Sociedad Espanola de Historia Natural, 91:193-204. Young, G.A. 1997. Tabulate coral faunas. In, B.S. Norford (ed.), Correlation chart and Biostratigraphy of the Silurian Rocks of Canada. International Union of Geological Sciences, Publication No. 33, p. 19-22, 67. Hanke, G.F., K.W. Stewart and G.E. Lammers. 1996. Eastmanosteus lundarensis, a new arthrodire from the Elm Point Formation of Manitoba. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 16(4): 606-616. Hanke, G.F., K.W. Stewart and G.E. Lammers. 1996. Squamatognathus steeprockensis, a new inferognathal from the Elm Point Formation of Manitoba., Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 16(4): 617-622. Hanke, G.F. and K.W. Stewart. 1994. Evidence for recent dispersal of fishes in Lake Winnipeg. Proceedings of the North Dakota Water Quality Symposium, Part III: 133-149.


	Public Inquiries The Natural History Department at the Museum provides answers to inquiries from the public on subjects related to the natural world. There is no fee for general public inquiries and specimen identifications; however, a fee is charged for inquiries requiring the identification of a large number of specimens, or for services to those who will use the information for commercial gain. Dr. Graham Young, Curator of Geology and Palaeontology P: (204) 988-0648 Dr. Diana Bizeki-Robson, Curator of Botany P: (204) 988-0653 Dr. Randi Mooi Curator of Zoology P: (204) 988-0659