Digitization and taxonomic revision of the Unionida collection of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt a. M.

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Julia Sigwart
• Subject Area: Systematics and Morphology (Zoology)
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 491991323

Freshwater mussels, Unionida, are one of the most endangered groups of animals on Earth due to pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Over half of the species known from Europe and North America are threatened with extinction (Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered). Historical scientific collections of freshwater mussels are critically important to understand the past and present diversity of this vulnerable group. The SMF collections of Unionida (freshwater mussels) represent one of the most taxonomically complete and scientifically important collections worldwide. Given the increasing interest, concern, and research on freshwater mussels, the SMF collections are frequently in demand with requests for identification and distribution information from international researchers and the global conservation community. The project proposed in the current DFG-LIS call includes the remaining parts of the collection that were not digitised within the scope of the previous project (material with origins in America, Asia, and Africa). We also include a pilot project to develop cutting edge 3D visualisation techniques to make the collections of the mussels’ glochidia larvae available, a new method that would open a unique aspect of this collection and provide a novel approach that would be emulated by other global collections. If this two-year project is funded, the entire Unionida collection would be digitally recorded and made accessible (including photos of the many types). This would be a major milestone not only for the curation of the mollusc collection in general, but an enormously valuable contribution to the international community.

• DFG Programme: Cataloguing and Digitisation (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)