Crustaceas

The Crustacea Collection focuses on New Zealand and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but also holds many specimens from the Pacific, Australia, and other parts of the world. There are about 20,000 specimen lots (a lot is from one to hundreds of specimens of the same species from one place) in the collection. It is the largest Crustacea collection in the country.

The collection is strong in decapod Crustacea (the shrimps and prawns, lobsters, crayfish, and crabs) and, at the opposite end of the scale in terms of size, crustaceans called harpacticoid copepods, which are microscopic.

The hugely diverse peracarids (sandhopper and sea-lice forms, krill, and the like) are also well represented, although many species of these middle-sized crustaceans have yet to be identified. We have over 200 primary and as many secondary type specimens (the specimens carefully selected to represent each new species, which are stored with particular care).

Most of our crustaceans are preserved for the long term in 75% ethyl alcohol and stored in vials, jars, or pails, depending on size. Crustaceans preserved in alcohol lose their colour but their complicated limbs remain accessible for scientific examination, which is not the case when they are dried.

Only a few are dried for storage, and some of these are mounted in our permanent exhibitions, Mountains to Sea and NatureSpace, and in temporary exhibits. Many of the smallest crustaceans are also permanently mounted on microscope slides.