Mammalian type material from Cameroon in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

Abstract

Historical data, combined with current data on species distribution, are a valuable resource for tracking changes in biodiversity and can potentially be applied to developing models in conservation biology and designing and assessing conservation strategies. Historical data supporting current knowledge on the natural history of the African continent are primarily held in Western museums. The Zoologisches Museum Berlin (ZMB), which is today part of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN), is the primary source of reference for zoological collections from former German colonial territories including Cameroon. Here, we document for the first time a catalogue of the type material in the mammal collection of the MfN from the point of view of a geographical region. The type collection includes 91 type specimens identified in the catalogues as originating from German ‘Kamerun’ and which correspond to 31 described species, of which 12 are currently accepted (valid) species names. Of the 31 described species, 21 are represented by holotypes, three para-holotype series, one para-lectotype series and six syntype series. We hope that this first analysis of zoological objects, based on geographical location, will lead to similar research on other geographical locations of collection. This could provide more information on the provenance of collections and on colonial collecting practices, as well as contribute to the accessibility of collections in Western museums.