7871

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7871
• Author: Snyder, D. E.
• Title: Preserved Larval and Small-Fish Collections of the Upper Colorado River Basin
• USFW Year: 1996.
• USFW - Doc Type: Maintenance and Cataloging of a Valuable Historical Database - Final Report.
• Copyright Material: NO

",.

LFL COLLECTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

5

analyzed by LFL, and which are to be subsequently maintained by LFL, are usually cataloged
as part of collection processing.
Some public agencies which retain authority over collections held and managed by
LFL (e.g., National Park Service) require that their specimens also be assigned numbers in
their own collection catalog, their numbers be appropriately cross-referenced in the LFL
catalog, and LFL catalog data be provided to them for inclusion in their catalog or files.
Such requirements are usually attended to after the specimens are cataloged by LFL.

Maintenance-Cataloged, fluid-preserved specimens are maintained as taxon-specific
lots (usually species) in standardized containers and preservatives with standardized wet labels
and are systematically organized on LFL shelving for easy access as voucher, study, or
reference collections. Lot containers have been standardized to 20-ml glass scintillation vials
with PolysealTM caps, and 2, 8, and 16-oz (-60, 237, and 473 ml, respectively) straight-sided
jars (83, 134, and 147-mm tall, respectively) with special Teflon-lined lids. These containers
facilitate organization on shelving and minimize evaporative losses. To conserve shelf space,
vials are stored separately from larger containers in 50 or 100-cell trays which are stacked
two high on shelves proximal to larger containers. Containers larger than 16 oz are avoided,
but when required they are stored on more-widely spaced shelves to accommodate their
greater height. In some cases individual lots are stored in more than one container to
conserve preservative and space (e.g., two vials instead of a 2-oz jar). The number and size
of containers for each lot are recorded in the primary records of the LFL Collection Catalog
and the lower left comer of each container label. Cataloged collection labels (Figure 1) are
laser-printed on high-quality, linen or cotton fiber paper (e.g., 28# Byron-Weston R~sistall)
and cut to about 33 x 51 mm to accommodate our smallest containers (20-ml vials).

LFL 2725 Catostomidae: 14 LFL 13153 Cyprinidae: 15 LFL 22334 Cyprinidae: 15

XYTtlUChen tezanus Gila cypha ? Ptyclwcheilus luaus

N = 2. 36.6-39.3 mmTL Dev Int: N N = I, 16.4-16.4 mmTL N = 7. 9.0-10.0 mmTL Dev Inc LR
100% ethanol Id: Kevin Bestgcnl91 3% buffered formalin Id: LFLlI985 100% ethanol Id: LFLII995

UDWR-G91NSl004B 30-JUL-1991 FWS/GJ-85L-079 26-JUL-1985 CDOW-94DR-L035 12-JUL-1994

North America, USA, Ulah, Grand Co. North America, USA, Utah, Grand Co. North America. USA, Colorado. Mesa Co.
Green River River Km: 89.5 Colorado River River Km: 181.4 Colorado River River Km: 247.5
Shoreline LOMA

Gear: seine Gear: Fine mesh seine Gear: Larval fish drift net Col: CL

V:2-vials Larval Fish Laborarory, Colo. SI. Univ. V:I-vial Larval Fish I..aboratory. Colo. SI. Univ. V:I-vial Larval Fish Laboratory, Colo. SI. Univ.

FIGURE I.-Larval Fish Laboratory Collection labels.

LFL Collection specimens are maintained in a variety of preservatives. As collections
are examined or cataloged, all formalin-preserved specimens are retained in or transferred to
3% phosphate-buffered formalin (Markle 1984, Snyder 1983) to reduce the hazards of
working with collections in stronger formaldehyde solutions. Standard procedure for many
ichthyological collections is to transfer formalin-fixed specimens, including larvae, to alcohol
preservatives. However, LFL prefers to retain formalin-fixed specimens in dilute formalin to
avoid the shrinkage and distortion of early life stages often caused by dehydration in alcohol
preservatives. Specimens received in ethanol or isopropanol are retained in those alcohols,
but concentrations are standardized to 70% or 95-100% for ethanol and 50% or 100% for