Guide to collections


Collection of molluscs from Philippines

Name Collection of molluscs from Philippines
Alternative name MCNB. Col. molluscs Philippines
Cite as Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB). Collection of molluscs from Philippines
MCNB. Col. molluscs Philippines
Description Collection of continental molluscs from Philippine Archipelago consisting entirely of dry shells apart from one wet specimen of Argonauta argus preserved in ethyl alcohol 70º. In all, there are 13,450 specimens grouped in 4,900 lots, of which around 75% correspond to marine animals. The collection includes Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Cephalopoda, Polyplacophora and Scaphopoda, the latter three groups being the least represented (a total of around 20 lots). Wide range of gastropod and bivalve taxa. Most of the material belongs to the Museum's historical collection (original collection of Francesc Martorell and collections of Artur Bofill, Joan Baptista d'Aguilar-Amat, Joan Rosals, Barcelona Royal Academy of Science and the Arts, Manuel de Chía, Baltasar Serradell and the Jaume Balmes Institute, amongst others). There are also a lot of donations of marine specimens donated by Alfonso de Reynoso (1882). All of the collection has been registered, documented and digitalized to specimen-lot level. Data of part of the collection can be consulted on-line on the website of the Barcelona Natural History Museum and the portal GBIF. One of the interesting aspects of the collection is the large number of specimens belonging to species that are endemic to the Philippine Archipelago or some of its islands. A selection of molluscs from the Philippines has been on display as part of the Museum's permanent exhibition. Currently, a group of 25 lots is on display in the permanent exhibition of Museu Blau.
Provenance The first specimens came from the shell collection of Francesc Martorell i Peña and were part of the original collection of the Martorell Museum (1879). Specimens of marine fauna from the collection of Adolfo de Reynoso were donated a few years later (1882). The addition of the shell collections of Artur Bofill, Joan Baptista d'Aguilar-Amat and Joan Rosals in 1917-1920 increased the Museum's collection – above all, of molluscs from the Philippines – significantly. Further material came from other historical collections that were added subsequently, including specimens from the collections of Barcelona Royal Academy of Science and the Arts (loaned to the Museum in 1925), Manuel de Chia (1923), Baltasar Serradell (1931) and the Jaume Balmes Institute (1936). The Royal Academy’s collection also includes donations from Jaume Basté, Eduard Cháquert, Eusebi Mas and José María Salvañá. There are also a few specimens collected by Joaquín González Hidalgo. Under the direction of Artur Bofill i Poch (1892-1929) and then J. B. d’Aguilar-Amat (1929-1936), the malacological section began to be reorganized and all the different collections were united and the nomenclature revised (all the original labels have been preserved). The curator of the Department of non-Arthropod Invertebrates is currently Francesc Uribe (since 1997), under whose guidance the inventory and computerization of the Museum's collection has been completed to specimen-lot level.
Kingdom coverage Animalia
Taxon coverage Bivalvia (strength), Cephalopoda, Gastropoda (strength), Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda
Collectors [desconeguts]
Collection type Preserved
Primary purpose Research
Include types No
Grouping principle Spatial
Formations periods ca. 1882-
Development statuses Passive growth
Collection extents 13450 specimens, 4900 lots
Documentation state Documentary control of all lots (registration, inventory and computerization). Most of the material still requires revision. Identification to species level carried out according to the original documentation and labels. nomenclature updated for the samples documented with MuseumPlus.
Specimen preservation methods Fluid-preserved, No Treatment
Preparation and conservation Dried material boxed or wrapped up in protective material in individual containers. Control of the environmental conditions in storage areas.
McGinley conservation statuses Level 8
Conservation status date 30-07-2013 (dd-mm-yyyy)
Institution Natural Science Museum of Barcelona - Non-Arthropod Invertebrates Department
Subcollections Collection of continental molluscs from Philippines
Collection of marine molluscs from Philippines
Associated person Miguel Prieto (Documentalist), Francesc Uribe (Curator),
Item level access MCNB Mollusca GBIF online database (date when consulted) (accessed through GBIF data portal, http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/9125, 2013-09-04)
Col·leccions en línia de Zoologia (MCNB) / Online Zoological Collections (MCNB)
Related material Bofill i Poch, A., 1917. La colecció Rosals. Anuari de la Junta de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, 2: 193-196.

Martorell, M. & Bofill, A., 1888. Catálogo de la colección conchiológica que fué de D. Francisco Martorell y Peña legada por dicho señor á la ciudad de Barcelona y existente en el Museo Martorell de la propia ciudad. Barcelona. 94 pp.