Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. These spineless creatures comprise most of the Earth’s biodiversity and are found in nearly every imaginable habitat on the planet. The invertebrate holdings at AUMNH are split into two major groups: Entomology (insects, arachnids, myriapods) and Invertebrate Zoology (basically everything else).  

The primary focus of the IZ collection is to document, understand, and preserve the invertebrate biodiversity of Alabama and the southeastern United States. The southeastern U.S. is a global hotspot of diversity and Alabama is #1 in diversity for many animal groups. Notably, the occurrence of ~2/3 of the North American freshwater mussel species and 101 crayfish species have been recorded in the state. Unfortunately, this incredible amount of biodiversity has been compromised by human activities which have caused significant habitat loss and degradation in the region. In 1999, researchers and collections staff began to accumulate freshwater invertebrates from the region. Today, the IZ collection proudly boasts large holdings for both of these groups, including specimens from species that are now extirpated from Alabama or extinct. The IZ collection is also proud to have a large number of marine invertebrates from Antarctic voyages. Many of these have been digitized and photographed as part of the multi-institution grant called Dig-In. 

The AUMNH Invertebrate Zoology collection records are publicly accessible online through the AUMNH databases (Malacology | Invertebrates), GBIF, iDigBio, and InvertEBase. The collection is grown in accordance with AUMNH policies and currently has over 30,000 cataloged specimen lots. The AUMNH is a public resource, and its use is encouraged.  Access to and deposition of material is free of charge. For information regarding data use, specimen loans, and visiting the collection, please contact the collections manager.

INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY STAFF

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

VOLUNTEERS

The research staff sponsors students in a wide variety of roles from graduate students, to undergraduate students seeking research experience, to volunteers to contribute to various aspects of the collection. We encourage all those interested in learning how to curate a significant museum collection to contact the Collection Manager. The experience gained in collections maintenance will help students prepare for jobs and graduate school.