Invertebrate Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology
Major taxonomic groups included in collection: Porifera (sponges), Cnidaria (corals, jellies, anemones), Crustacea (crabs, shrimp, lobsters), Echinodermata (sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers), and Polychaeta (marine worms)
Major taxonomic group NOT included in collection: Mollusca (snails, clams, squid). To see Bishop Museum’s marine mollusc collection click here.
Invertebrate Zoology – FAQ
•Only collection in the world devoted solely to marine invertebrates of the Pacific Islands. Focus of the collection is primarily the Hawaiian Islands.
•Material in the collection represents over 100 years of scientific activity in the Hawaiian Islands and Pacific region, including specimens from a number of the earliest scientific expeditions in Hawai’i and the Pacific region: the Albatross (1888-1910), Tanager and Whippoorwill (1923-1924) and the Itasca (1935).
•Collection data provides a chronological history of species in Hawai’i, and therefore can be used to document the arrival of alien species to Hawai’i.
•Unique and important collections such as Hawaiian deepwater invertebrates from unusual habitats including emerging volcanoes and submerged ancient coral reefs, shallow-water reef invertebrates from the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and comprehensive collections of invertebrates, all of which are the basis for Bishop Museum’s scientific publication series “Reef and Shore Fauna of Hawaii”.
•Contains material collected and described by some of the most influential researchers of Hawaiian and Pacific biota, such as de Laubenfels (sponges), Vaughan (corals), Hartman and Brock (polychaetes), Devaney (echinoderms), and Edmondson (crustaceans), and from research organizations such as Hawaii Underwater Research Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Navy Ocean Science Center, University of Hawaii, and Enewetak Biological Laboratory.
To request access to the Invertebrate Zoology collection, please fill out our online Natural Sciences Collections Access and Use Request Form
Holly Bolick, Collections Manager
808-848-4156
holly@bishopmuseum.org
Ken Longenecker, Associate Zoologist
klongenecker@bishopmuseum.org
Nicholas Woolvord, Collections Technician
nicholas@bishopmuseum.org
To request a back of house collection tour please fill out our online Natural Sciences Collection Tour Request Form
Be a Part of Our Story
Celebrate the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific with a gift to Bishop Museum. As a partner in the Museum’s work, you can help to sustain vital collections, research, and knowledge, and inspire exploration and discovery with a tax-deductible donation.