Unlocking the Treasures of

the Deep

Wayne K. FlorenceCurator: Marine invertebrate Collections, Iziko Museums

Digitization of South African Museum’s

Marine Biology Data

Pliny the Elder(23-79AD)Copied from Aristotle

‘semper aliquid novi Africam adferre’Africa is always producing some novelty.

• 12 914 species (Griffths et al 2010)• 3rd highest spp richness/area – CoML (Costello et al 2010)

• 28% spp endemic to South Africa.

•Knowledge largely incomplete, outdated and fragmented•Commercial bias•Capacity Shortages

What do we know aboutSA Marine Biodiversity?

Great ExpeditionsChallenger Expeditions1800’s

The Inventory of SpeciesResearch and Collections

History of the Marine Biology Collections

6

Early European researchers habitually sent their material overseas so, although the collection became established in 1896, there were only occasional accessions before that date. Some special collections include:

Expedition name Region covered Period Collected By

UCT Ecological Survey Durban to Cape Town 1909-1989 John D Gilchrist and RV Africana II

SS Pieter Faure St Helena Bay to Zululand

1897-1907 SS Pieter Faure

Natal Museum’s Dredging Programme

Zululand to Cape Columbine

1981-1990 RV Meiring Naude

S A Museum’s Meiring Naude Cruises

Kosi Bay to South of East London

1975-1979 RV Meiring Naude

UCT Marion Island Survey

Marion Island 1984-1989 RV SA Agulhas

Cruise 060 Columbine and Cape Point Canyons

1988 RV Africana

Mozambique Scad Survey

Off Mozambique 1994 RV Algoa

South African Museum’s Meiring Naude cruises – 1970’s

DEA/DAFF – Annual Surveys

Prep and Taxonomy

Holdings • Total Specimens in Collection - at least 151 324 specimens of marine invertebrates, fishes and marine mammals

• 77 292 Catalogued

Digitisation• Muse – Specify 3 – Access – Specify 6• AfrOBIS (57 095):– Crustaceans – 13 127– Molluscs - 6078– Fishes -15048– Marine Mammals - 1184

• SABIF (10 984):– Porifera, Cnidaria, Bryozoa, Annelida

(Polychaeta), Echinodermata and other mixed invertebrates (ie., Dinoflagellata, Foraminifera, Helminth worms and Nemertea, Annelida, Brachiopoda, Pycnogonida and Ascidiacea)

Iziko MB Digital recordsSpecify Records – 77 292• Marine Invertebrates – 55 968 (45% Georeferenced & 1493 types)

• Fishes – 19 826 (45% Georeferenced & 408 types)

• Marine Mammals – 900 Cetacea and 598 Pinnipedia

SA Marine Bioregions

South Africa’s nine marine bioregions (taken from Lombard et al. 2004)

Way Forward Marine Biodiversity Sector

1. formally agree on key gaps in knowledge, 2. appoint staff to fill gaps strategically and create positions,3. facilitate graduate training to address gaps, and specifically to cope with

the progressive loss of taxonomic expertise,4. host workshops (including field studies) and symposia to generate team-

building and a sense of urgency and momentum amongst participants to address gaps,

5. support low-cost, open-access publication of knowledge through e-journals and authoritative online species information systems (including digital species identification guides),

6. develop new technologies for ocean exploration, knowledge discovery, data management and dissemination of results, and

7. encourage international collaboration between countries to facilitate field work, strategically build specimen collections, and publish data and knowledge online.

Improved coordination between institutions, including museums, fisheries institutes, government and intergovernmental agencies, and universities

Major gaps in basic knowledge of marine biodiversity, taxonomically and geographically remain and therefore science and society would thus benefit from investing in discovery

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements