Evolutionary Morphology collections
The structure of these
collections is quite distinctive. Historically, the sector accumulated material
on vertebrate animals that were used for comparative anatomical studies. These
are, as a rule, the 'wet' preparations and skeletons, which therefore
constitute the principal part of the collections of the Section.
The 'wet' preparations represent the whole animal or parts thereof, they are stored in the container with a fixative (alcohol, formalin). Osteological preparations of mammals are represented by postcranial skeletons only, while their skulls are stored as part the main systematic collections in the Section of Mammals. Unlike that, bird skeletons are kept with their skulls in the present Section.
There about 12,000 storage units of anatomical collections. Most of these are mammal remains, namely about 8,000 skeletons and nearly 800 'wet' preparations. The next largest group represented is birds (nearly 2,000 skeletons, nearly 400 'wet' preparations and 850 fixed embryos). A small part of the collection includes 'wet' preparations of reptiles (185) and amphibians (75). The is also a small collection of micropreparations on glass slides with histological materials of various kinds.
In the Section, the 'Book of receipts' and the 'Inventory book' are kept separately for skeletons of birds, the slides, 'wet' preparations of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Each specimens is provided with a detailed label, which contents are also duplicated on respective catalogue card.
The curator in charge of these collections is Dr. A.A. Lissovsky (phone 629-39-43, e-mail andlis@zmmu.msu.ru).