Wilhelm Ehrhardt and an evaluation of his amphibians and reptiles held in the Herpetological Collection of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin

Abstract

Wilhelm Ehrhardt was a Guyana-born German animal collector and an excellent taxidermist. He operated in Brazil from 1897 until about 1935 and supplied several museums and scientific institutions with important items of various animal groups. The herpetological collections of W. Ehrhardt, stored in the Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB) currently include 2416 specimens of 128 species, representing most of the native Brazilian groups of amphibians and reptiles. About 70% of the material was not determined and catalogued before, and all Ehrhardt specimens have been determined or re-examined, respectively. Here we present for the first time biographical data on W. Ehrhardt, and provide a complete catalogue of his herpetological collections held in the Museum fur Naturkunde, Berlin. When necessary, brief remarks were given on the condition of the specimens, their taxonomy, systematics, and localities. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)