The Marine Invertebrates collection encompasses invertebrates with the exception of insects and spiders. It includes crabs, sea spiders, lobsters, isopods, sponges, corals, worms, molluscs, echinoderms, protozoans and some non-vertebrate chordates. There are over 1 200 000 specimens in the collection, including several thousand type specimens.
Significant items
- Sponge collections of Bracebridge, Wilson and Dendy.
- Bale and Trebilcock hydroid collections, along with BANZARE (exBMNH) Antarctic hydroids.
- Baldwin Spencer earthworm collections, Giant Gippsland earthworm specimens, polychaetes from Western Port and Port Phillip surveys.
- Macgillivray (1895) and Maplestone (1902) Bryozoa collections.
Illustration and specimen of the predatory marine snail Chicoreus denudatus (Perry, 1811) from Marine Molluscs of Victoria by JH Macpherson & CJ Gabriel, 1962.
Image: Illustrator: George Browning
Source: Museum Victoria
Molluscs, shells and conchology
The shell collection has an excellent representation of the Australian fauna as well as comparative worldwide material. Established in the 1850s with purchases of overseas collections, it includes types and important reference specimens described by early European authors such as Adams, Cuming and Reeve. Also of note is the foraminiferan type collection, with specimens described by Collins and Parr.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the museum's collection of molluscs grew substantially through the efforts of the first (honorary) malacologist, John Gabriel, in 1933 and founding Curator of Molluscs, J Hope Macpherson in 1946. In 1962, Gabriel and Macpherson published Marine Molluscs of Victoria.
A paper nautilus or argonaut shell on the sandy bed of Port Phillip at Pope's Eye.
Image: Julian Finn
Source: Museum Victoria
Argonauts
Based upon examination of argonauts in instutions around the world, including wet specimens and shells in the MV collection, Curator of Molluscs Dr Julian Finn has revised the taxonomy of this unusual group of octopuses.
Curator emeritus Gary Poore amid specimens from the museum's collection of crusctaceans.
Image: Rodney Start
Source: Museum Victoria
Crustacean diversity
MV's crustacea collection is notable for its extreme diversity and size. It is representative of many environmental habitats, geographical areas and systematic groups.
The 1979 appointment of Gary Poore (now curator emeritus) initiated a major research and collection development effort on marine crustaceans which are now very well represented, especially for pericarids (amphipods, isopods and relatives) and selected decapods.
A preserved crinoid or feather star (Ptilometra macronema).
Image: Blair Patullo
Source: Museum Victoria
Echinoderms
The museum's collection of echinoderms is of national and international significance, having the most extensive deep collection of any museum in Australia, along with extensive collections from southern Australia and throughout the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea. Most of the collection from southern Australia has been identified, with representatives of almost every species.
The deep-sea ophiuroid and holothurian collections are extensive enough to be used for Australia-wide bioregionalisation projects – the only marine invertebrate groups currently in this category. All recently collected material is preserved directly in 70–95% ethanol so that specimens can be used for genetic research.
The head of a nereidid polychaete or sand worm, Perinereis vallata.
Image: Michael Marmach
Source: Museum Victoria
Polychaetes - marine worms
The Polychaete Collection includes some 12 000 registered lots, all preserved in 70% ethanol, except for a few recently collected specimens fixed and preserved in 95% ethanol for molecular biology studies.
The collection is of national and international significance, being the most extensive collection in existence of polychaete worms from southern Australia. Shallow water, inshore bays and continental shelf habitats have been well sampled. Significant taxonomic revisions of the families Nereididae, Phyllodocidae, Spionidae and Terebellidae are based on these important collections.
Many Australian regions are represented, but especially bays and the continental shelf of south eastern Australia. Material resulting from major environmental surveys, for example, documenting the environmental health and history of Port Phillip Bay, is highly significant.
The collection is notable for its diversity and the large numbers of species that are unsorted and undescribed. Much of the collection, particularly that recently taken, is sorted only to major taxon and many new species and other systematic discoveries undoubtedly await.
Museum marine biologists conduct fieldwork on the open ocean to collect animals that live in deep waters.
Image: Gary Poore
Source: Museum Victoria
Deep-water fauna
The Marine Invertebrates collection includes crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms that were collected from
Victorian, Tasmanian, Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, and SE Australian deep-water slopes.Unidentified corals in ethanol in the MV collection.
Image: Emma Cross
Source: Museum Victoria
Sessile and planktonic invertebrates
The Sessile and Planktonic Invertebrates Collection represents two major groups of marine animals: those that attach themselves to the seafloor and other substrates (including corals, sponges, anemones, bryozoans, sea squirts and lamp shells) and those that are free-floating organisms, such as jellyfishes, free-swimming sea squirts and comb jellies. The total collection comprises approximately 45 500 lots of specimens across five of the major invertebrate groups (phyla).
This significant collection attracts considerable research attention from Australian and international researchers. This collection is actively growing through direct collection by Museum Victoria scientists via surveys and research programs ranging from intertidal field programs in Victoria to major deep-sea exploration projects in our region.
Targeted collecting commenced in 2005 in relation to the marine field guide series being produced by the Marine Sciences section of the museum. Regular donations of material are also made by external research organisations and collaborating researchers, particularly CSIRO, fisheries research bodies and universities. Collection growth is minimal (less than 0.5 per cent) annually.
The collection includes approximately 17 000 lots of Bryozoa (lace corals); 13 000 lots of Cnidaria (corals; jellyfish, box jellyfish, hydroids, anemones, sea pens); 3000 lots of Brachiopoda (lamp shells); 2500 lots of Chordata (sea squirts, salps); 10 000 lots of Porifera (sponges); and 25 lots of Ctenophora (comb jellies).
Significant items
- Significant type and figured material from some of the major historical workers of the time.
- A significant collection of type material from four current Museum Victoria honorary associates: J.E. Watson (Hydrozoa); P.E. Bock (Bryozoa); P.L. Cook (Bryozoa); and J.R. Richardson (brachiopoda).
- Bryozoa: type specimens of approximately 310 species; C.J. Maplestone (bryozoa collection); P.H. MacGillivray (bryozoa collection).
- Cnidaria: type specimens of approximately 320 species; W.M. Bale (hydroid collection); BANZARE (Antarctic hydroid collection); R. Condon (Port Phillip Bay jellyfish collection); J. Dennant (coral collection); G.H. Kirchenpauer (hydroid collection); R.E. Trebilcock (hydroid collection); J.E. Watson (hydroid collection).
- Brachiopoda: type specimens: approximately 16 lots; J. Richardson (brachiopod collection).
- Chordata: type specimens: approximately 35 lots; P. Mather (ascidians).
- Porifera: type specimens of approximately 110 species; A. Dendy (sponge collection); F. Wiedenmayer (Bass Strait sponge collection); J. Bracebridge Wilson (Port Phillip survey 1886–95: sponges); National Museum of Victoria Bass Strait 1979–84 (sponges); R. Capon and L. Goudie (bioassay sponge collection).