The Invertebrate Collections
The University Museum of Bergen houses one of the largest and most active collections of marine invertebrates in Norway – of paramount importance for the national and international research community, with around 145,000 catalogued samples.
About
The collection contains about 145,000 catalogued samples (as of 2021), mostly marine species and including approximately 1,300 type specimens. It holds material from historically important expeditions such as the Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition (1876–78) and the Michael Sars Expedition (1910).
The collection has grown strongly in recent years through collaborative programmes such as MAR-ECO (the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the Azores and Iceland), MIWA – Marine Invertebrates from West Africa (Morocco to Angola) and MAREANO (the mapping of Norwegian waters). It is a key research infrastructure for marine invertebrate biology, with an emphasis on systematics, biogeography and evolution.Evertebratsamlingen har vokst gjennom mer enn 160 år med innsamling og forskning, bygd opp fra historiske ekspedisjoner og moderne kartleggingsprogrammer som Mareano og NorBOL (Norwegian Barcode of Life). Det siste tiåret har samlingen vokst med rundt 50 000 katalognumre.
Den er en sentral forskningsinfrastruktur for marin evertebratbiologi, med vekt på systematikk, biogeografi og evolusjon.
Hva inneholder samlingen
Annelida (leddormer)
Typemateriale, historiske belegg og materiale fra nyere og pågående ekspedisjoner. Dekker nordatlantisk og arktisk fauna, fra Vest-Afrika til Barentshavet.
Malakologi (bløtdyr)
Vekt på marine arter, særlig nakensnegler og beslektede grupper (Heterobranchia). Brukes i forskning på systematikk, biogeografi og evolusjon.
Typesamlingen
Rundt 1 300 typeobjekter, mange fra historiske ekspedisjoner som Den norske Nordhavsekspedisjonen (1876–78) og Michael Sars-ekspedisjonen (1910).
Artsprosjekter
Samlingen vokser gjennom artsprosjekter som kartlegger norsk artsmangfold – blant annet småsnegler, arktiske hydrozoer (NOAH), parasitter på maneter (ParaZoo) og tanglopper.
Tilgang og bruk
Lån og prøvetaking
Materialet er tilgjengelig for lån til vitenskapelige institusjoner, og forskere kan få tilgang etter avtale for å studere gjenstander, låne og ta prøver.
What the collection contains
Mollusca
Molluscs, with an emphasis on marine species, especially sea slugs and related groups (Heterobranchia). The material is used in research on systematics, biogeography and evolution.
Annelida
Segmented worms, including type material, historical specimens and material from recent and ongoing expeditions, covering North Atlantic and Arctic fauna from West Africa to the Barents Sea.
Ctenophora and Cnidaria
Comb jellies, jellyfish, hydrozoans and their relatives.
Type collection
Around 1,300 type specimens – the specimens from which a species was first scientifically described – many from historically important expeditions such as the Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition (1876–78) and the Michael Sars Expedition (1910).
Mapping programmes and DNA barcoding
Species-mapping programmes
The collection grows through programmes such as MAR-ECO, MIWA (Marine Invertebrates from West Africa) and MAREANO. Finds are photographed, identified using morphology and DNA analysis, and added to the collection.
NorBOL – Norwegian Barcode of Life
The museum coordinates genetic barcoding of marine organisms found in Norway. Short, species-specific DNA segments with corresponding specimens in the collection become part of the global, open-access reference library of barcodes.
Access and use
Loans and research visits
The material is available for loan to scientific institutions, and researchers can arrange visits to study objects, borrow material and take samples. See “Access to the collections”.
People
Kontakt
Jon Anders Kongsrud Samlingsansvarlig
Contact – research visits, collection loans etc.
Jon Anders Kongsrud Collections manager (general enquiries)
Manuel António E. Malaquias Professor – Mollusca
Nataliya Budaeva Professor – Annelida
Aino Hosia Professor – Ctenophora, Cnidaria
Contact
The Invertebrate Collections, Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen.
- Emails
- jon.kongsrud@uib.no