Museu Nacional Research Articles

Diversity of Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae (Diptera: Oestroidea) in a forested area in the municipality of Macaé, RJ, Brazil

Sarcophagidae and Calliphoridae are families of Diptera that cover, respectively, about 3,100 and 1,000 species described worldwide. The species of these families have medical and veterinary importance, due to their role as vectors of pathogenic agents. The Diptera fauna is little known in many Brazilian ecosystems, including some phytophysiognomies of the Atlantic Forest. In the present study, two expeditions were carried out, one in the rainy season and the other in the dry season, using four traps baited with fish and exposed for 48 hours in the field in the Parque Natural Municipal Atalaia in the municipality of Macaé. The collected material was sorted and assembled at Instituto de Biodiversidade e Sustentabilidade - NUPEM/UFRJ and transported to Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Sistemática de Diptera - Museu Nacional, UFRJ (MNRJ), for later identification. A total number of 712 specimens of Calliphoridae and 27 of Sarcophagidae were collected. The sampling effort for Sarcophagidae collection was average, since the species accumulation curve continues to rise, unlike the Calliphoridae curve, which remains stable. The study included species considered asynanthropic, as Hemilucilia semidiaphana (Rondani, 1850) (Calliphoridae), but also invasive species, like those of the genus Chrysomya Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Calliphoridae). Therefore, the present study contributed to expand knowledge about both families in the Atlantic Forest, in Rio de Janeiro, and emphasized the importance of continuing studies in the region, as many species are asynanthropic, while others are invasive, which can result in the inhibition of the native ones.

Redescription of three fossil baleen whale skulls from the Miocene of Portugal reveals new cetotheriid phylogenetic insights.

Cetotheriidae is a family of baleen whales that went nearly extinct during the Pleistocene (excluding Caperea marginata). For a long time, the Cetotheriidae family has been seen as a problematic clade, but in the past two decades there have been various studies trying to resolve the phylogeny of this group. In 1831, Alexandre Vandelli described three cetotheriid skulls, found during a gold exploration at Adiça beach (Portugal). These specimens constituted the first Portuguese vertebrate fossils ever published in the literature. Another skull was added to the "Vandelli skulls" by Jacinto Pedro Gomes, in 1914, during a survey of the Museu Nacional de História Natural collections without giving information on the origin of this skull. In 1941, Remington Kellogg states that one of the original "Vandelli skulls" is no longer present in the Museu Nacional de História Natural collections. Until today, there is no information on how, or exactly when, the fourth skull and one of the original three "Vandelli skulls" appeared and disappeared, respectively. Since their discovery, all the attempts to describe these specimens were not based on direct observations and no comprehensive phylogenetic analysis have included the three skulls. Here we provide a detailed anatomic description, a new phylogenetic analysis and a palaeoecological reconstruction of these specimens, clarifying their relationships within the Cetotheriidae family and fostering the importance of these historical specimens to the modern comprehension of fossil whale evolution. In addition, our results support that Cephalotropis nectus is a valid species with an emended diagnosis. We also concluded that two specimens belong to a new genus, forming two new fossil species (new combinations).

The invertebrate paleontology collection at Rio de Janeiro's Museu Nacional: museological practices and stages in its trajectory.

This article examines the general characteristics of how the invertebrate paleontology collection at the National Museum [Museu Nacional] in Rio de Janeiro took shape and the stages in its trajectory, considering the institution's own journey from the perspective of museology and heritage studies. It addresses the reach of the collection within the context of the department and the procedures and practices involved, namely research, education, and exhibitions. The collection's trajectory reflects the contexts that formed the backdrop for the museum, domestically and globally, between the mid-1900s and the early twenty-first century.

Hemipenial morphology of whiptail lizards Glaucomastix abaetensis and Glaucomastix littoralis , with comments on the genus Ameivula (Teiidae: Teiinae).

Hemipenes are important structures for the systematics of Squamata, and may assist in the diagnosis of closely related taxa. Only one of the species of Glaucomastix (G. venetacauda) had its hemipenial morphology described in literature so far. Here we analyze and describe for the first time the hemipenes of seven specimens of G. abaetensis and 20 specimens of G. littoralis from the reptile collection of Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. In both species the hemipenes are bilobed with a forked sulcus spermaticus in a centripetal orientation and present laminar ornamentations on the hemipenial body and paired awns on the apical region of the lobes. The two species differed from each other only in the modal number of proximal laminae. The main differences in hemipenial morphology between Glaucomastix and its sister genus Ameivula are the presence of laminae in the hemipenial body (absent in Ameivula) and the absence of digitiform papillae on the apical lobular region (present in Ameivula). We expect that our data can be used as an additional tool to diagnose species within the genus Glaucomastix/Ameivula.

Detection of volatile organic compounds in airtight exhibition spaces by GC–MS using two complementary injection techniques

A novel method was developed and optimized for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside an airtight exhibition case used for the storage and display of museum artifacts. The method uses a static headspace module coupled to a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. In this method, the air is sampled by passive samplers (coconut shell charcoal and synthetic charcoal). In the laboratory, the VOCs are thermally desorbed (120 min, 60 °C) in the HS furnace after the addition of a small volume of dimethylacetamide (DMA). The VOCs present in the gas phase are then automatically analyzed by GC–MS. The information obtained is complemented by the analysis of the DMA liquid phase by direct injection GC–MS in the same chromatograph. The VOCs are identified by studying the mass spectra obtained by both techniques. This approach provides an economically viable, non-invasive and visually non-disruptive solution for VOC detection in enclosed spaces in museum environments. The use of two complementary injection techniques allows for good detection and suitable chromatographic response to a wide range of volatile compounds. This method was applied for the identification of VOCs present in an enclosed airtight exhibition case at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), where the formation of efflorescence was observed on the surface of a Modernist jewel displayed inside, as it was suspected that VOCs were the main cause for the degradation. Forty-five different VOCs were detected and identified inside the exhibition case: thirteen of them by HS–GC–MS, fifteen of them by direct injection GC–MS, and seventeen by both techniques. Among the most relevant VOCs identified, acetic acid, acetaldehyde and formaldehyde stand out due to the danger they pose to museum artifacts exposed in enclosed spaces, especially in the long term.

Insect galls of Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos (Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil)

The Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos (PARNASO) is an integral protection conservation unit inserted in the domain of the Atlantic forest. This Park was investigated monthly from September to December/2021 and from March to May/2022 for insect galls. Host plants were identified and their exsiccates were deposited in the herbarium (R) of the Museu Nacional. Insects obtained by gall dissection and rearing were deposited in the Entomological Collection of Museu Nacional (MNRJ). The conservational status of the host plants and their origin were verified in the site Flora e Funga do Brasil (2023). New records of host plants in Brazil are presented based on comparison with literature data. PARNASO hosts a great richness of galls (290 gall morphotypes on 43 plant families). Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Rubiaceae, Mikania Willd. (Asteraceae), Miconia Ruiz & Pav. (Melastomataceae), and Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae), and Guapira opposita (Nyctaginaceae) were the botanical taxa with the highest number of gall morphotypes, all of them were previously indicated as super hosts in inventories in forest formations of the Atlantic forest, except Rubiaceae. PARNASO includes 148 gall-inducing species native to Brazil, being 69 endemic; among the last 23 are exclusive to the Atlantic forest. Eight gall-inducing species are endangered and four are near threathned. Most galls were found on leaves. The most frequent gall characters were: globoid shape, green color, and glabrous surface. Most galls were induced by Cecidomyiidae (Diptera), however galls of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Thysanoptera, and Hymenoptera wera also found. These are the known patterns in Brazil. The secondary fauna was reported in 62 gall morphotypes and included parasitoids (Hymenoptera), successors (Collembola, Hemiptera and Thysanoptera), cecidophagous (Lepidoptera), and predators (spiders). Parasitoids were the most frequent. Seven gall midge species are recorded for the first time in this Park.

Type specimens of the species of Cycloramphus Tschudi, 1838 (Anura, Cycloramphidae) in the collections of the Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Museu Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro, is the oldest scientific institution in Brazil, created by a decree of the Regent Prince and future King D. Joo VI on 06 June 1818. In particular, the herpetological collection dates from the early 1870s and were studied by the first Brazilian herpetologists, namely Alpio de Miranda Ribeiro (18741934) and Adolpho Lutz (18551940). Currently, the Museu Nacional houses many type-specimens of amphibians, including species of the genus Cycloramphus Tschudi, 1838, with many problems and inconsistencies between the published data, the labels of the specimens, and the register books. In this paper, we analyse the type-specimens of Cycloramphus deposited in the Museu Nacional and Adolpho Lutz collections, described by Miranda-Ribeiro, A. Lutz, and many later herpetologists. With the purpose of contributing to the stability of nomenclature within Cycloramphus, we newly designate lectotypes for Cycloramphus eleutherodactylus var. variegata A. Lutz, 1929, Grypiscus lutzi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1935, and Iliodiscus lutzi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1929. Of the 14 nominal species treated, lectotypes for Cycloramphus eleutherodactylus var. variegata A. Lutz, 1929, Cycloramphus granulosus A. Lutz, 1929, Iliodiscus lutzi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1929, and Grypiscus lutzi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1935, are designated and figured; the holotypes of Cycloramphus eleutherodactylus var. strigillata A. Lutz, 1929 and of Cycloramphus distinctus A. Lutz, 1932, are figured; the identity of holotype and paratypes of Cycloramphus heyeri Segalla et al. 2021 is clarified. A new synonymy between Grypiscus lutzi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1935 and Cycloramphus brasiliensis (Steindachner, 1864) is proposed. Information on the type localities of all species is updated.

Life history variation of the Hairy-tailed Akodont (Necromys lasiurus, Rodentia, Sigmodontinae) in the Caatinga biome of northeastern Brazil

Abstract Rodents are notable for their unique life history traits that render a fast-breeding capacity. Their short generation times allow local adaptations to appear, and several studies have tried to understand if—and how—geographical variables influence local adaptation in life history traits. We compared demographic and life history traits of the Neotropical cricetid Necromys lasiurus based on 7,400 museum specimens collected daily and simultaneously over 5 years at several sites in the Caatinga biogeographic domain subject to heterogeneous geographic and climatological variables. This sample, assembled by the National Plague Service between 1951 and 1955, includes skulls, skins, and individual specimen data currently deposited in the Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Based on this material, we analyzed population fluctuation, breeding season, sexual size dimorphism, sexual maturity, and litter size. We also hypothesized that geographic variables (elevation, rainfall, temperature, longitude, and latitude) influence key life history traits, such as size at birth and litter size. Overall, N. lasiurus showed plastic reproductive patterns, with few traits shared among populations. Notably, there is strong seasonal variation in population fluctuation patterns, breeding events clumped in early dry season and old individuals distributed throughout all the year, as has been seen for populations in other biomes. Geography had no influence on size at birth but litter size was explained by the interaction between maternal weight and geographical variables. Plastic life history traits so intimately responsive to climatological variables likely contribute to N. lasiurus having one of the largest geographic ranges among Neotropical cricetids, as well as to its status as the most important plague reservoir in the Caatinga domain.

The choreography of violence: A discussion between Harri Pälviranta and Stefanie Baumann

How is violence conventionally portrayed and where does violence lie in representation? How does photography mediate the relationships between different forms and ideas, moments and experiences of violence? These were some of the questions addressed in a conversation between artist Harri Pälviranta and philosopher Stefanie Baumann organized by Alexandra Athanasiadou, founder and director of the online platform Philosophy & Photography Lab (PHLSPH), during the international Photography Festival, Imago Lisboa, in Lisbon during October 2022. The discussion presented here is edited from a transcript by Athanasiadou. It took place at Lusófona University in Lisbon on the occasion of Pälviranta’s exhibition at the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea (MNAC) (6 October 2021–8 January 2023) and focuses on two series of works in the exhibition, News Portraits and Choreography of Violence.

Gaudí, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, MNAC

Book Review| March 01 2023 Gaudí, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, MNAC Gaudí Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona 19 November 2021–6 March 2022 Carolina B. García-Estévez Carolina B. García-Estévez Polytechnic University of Catalonia Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (2023) 82 (1): 99–103. https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2023.82.1.99 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Carolina B. García-Estévez; Gaudí, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, MNAC. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 1 March 2023; 82 (1): 99–103. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2023.82.1.99 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentJournal of the Society of Architectural Historians Search In his essential 1993 monograph Antoni Gaudí, 1852–1926: Architettura, ideologia, e política, Juan José Lahuerta questioned the symbolic settings of Gaudí’s architecture and his intellectual project at the service of the structures of social and political power.1 Then, in 2002, Lahuerta organized the highly acclaimed Universo Gaudí exhibition at Madrid’s Reina Sofía, further reframing Gaudí’s legacies for the 150th anniversary of the architect’s birth.2 But Lahuerta did not stop there: as head of collections at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (2013–16), he challenged official Catalan historiography with a new presentation of the MNAC’s permanent modern art collection. Moreover, his appointment to the Gaudí Chair at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (2016) offered him unlimited access to the architect’s uncatalogued works in the archives of the Barcelona School of Architecture. Lahuerta’s impressive track record and scholarship were both evident in the MNAC’s 2021–22 exhibition Gaudí, which... You do not currently have access to this content.

Art of the Counter-Archive: Rosângela Rennó's Books and the Secret Files of the Dictatorship

Abstract This article examines Brazilian artist Rosângela Rennó's books 2005–510117385–5 and A01 [COD.19.1.1.43] – A27 [S | COD.23], which engage with photographs stolen from public collections in Rio de Janeiro. Both books triggered a conversation about institutional precarity and its effects on national memory and cultural heritage—one that took place a few years before the 2018 fire at Rio de Janeiro's Museu Nacional, which destroyed much of its invaluable archive of twenty million items and was understood as a national tragedy. It discusses Rennó's books in light of 1960s and 1970s Latin American Conceptualisms, arguing that they propose new ways of understanding the secret files of the 1964–85 dictatorship—a still unresolved issue in Brazil. Tackling the dynamics of public museums, private collections, and incentive laws and activating the generative potential of circulation, Rennó's work provides both a commentary on the role of institutions and national memory and at the same time a warning against the unregulated circulation of the neoliberal market. Ultimately, it offers a critique of the archive's potential to be coopted to authoritarian ends and a model for a public, circulating counter-archive of collective memories.

The Antonio Gonçalves Peryassú mosquito collection at the Museu Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro: retrieving the memory of lost heritage

Collections formed and studies conducted in the early decades of the twentieth century in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were crucial for the study of the systematization and natural history of mosquitoes in Brazil. One key figure in this context was Antonio Gonçalves Peryassú. The history of a collection he organized at Museu Nacional [National Museum] in Rio de Janeiro between 1918 and 1922 is analyzed.

The freshwater fishes from the Costa Verde Fluminense region of southeastern Brazil

Abstract The region between the Brazilian Shield and the Atlantic Ocean is characterized by the presence of numerous hydrographic basins isolated by mountainous terrain that flow directly into the ocean without forming wide coastal plains. However, knowledge about the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish in several coastal areas is still incipient. One of these areas is the Costa Verde Fluminense region, situated between the municipalities of Mangaratiba and Paraty in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro. In order to eliminate the gap of knowledge about the freshwater fish fauna of this region, we prepared a list of the species, and dichotomous identification keys and illustrations of all species. We examined material from expeditions carried out between 1942 and 2019, deposited in the Ichthyological Collection of the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The material comes from 29 continental coastal rivers and four drainages on Ilha Grande island. We recognized 54 fish species belonging to 16 families and 9 orders. The order Siluriformes was the most diverse with 18 species, followed by Characiformes with 14 species, Cyprinodontiformes with 10 species, Cichliformes with four species, Gobiiformes with three species, Syngnathiformes with two species, and Gymnotiformes, Salmoniformes and Synbranchiformes with one species each. These records include two putative undescribed species and four introduced species. Phalloceros anisophallos was the most widely distributed species, recorded in 24 drainages. More than a half (52 %) of the native species occur exclusively in coastal streams, demonstrating the importance of the area for biogeographic and conservation studies.

Decision-making process and restoration work of a photographic-based artwork by Ernesto de Sousa

This paper discusses the conservation challenges posed by the mixed-media photographic artwork, Revolução, Corpo, Tempo (1978) by Ernesto de Sousa, from Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado, in Portugal. Due to the artwork's poor condition and an exhibition request, a conservation intervention was needed. However, the definition of a conservation plan was challenging because of the complex and singular creative process of Ernesto and the highly deteriorated exhibition mounting. The lack of existing information led to the start of a research study and to the production of new documentation. This paper examines the gathered knowledge on Ernesto de Sousa's work and case study, and his possible position regarding the artwork’s deterioration and evolution over time – fundamental issues for decision-making in conservation. Based on visual observation, archive research, informal interviews, photo-documentation, infrared spectroscopy, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, this paper discusses the challenges, the methodology and the applied treatment.

Two new species of Haliclona (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida: Chalinidae) from north-eastern Brazilian coastal waters and oceanic islands

Abstract Two new species of Haliclona (Chalinidae, Haplosclerida) are described here from Brazilian oceanic islands and the coast of Ceará State. They derive from collections undertaken between 1999 and 2014, and materials are deposited in the Porifera collection of Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ). Haliclona (Halichoclona) insularis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other Haliclona spp. in the western Atlantic by the combination of surface with light to deep red colour intermixed with white to beige areas (occasionally completely beige), white to beige choanosome, small fistular outgrowths, fragile consistency and blunt oxeas (90–175 × 1–5 μm) with irregular tips. Haliclona (Soestella) moraesi sp. nov. is the only western Atlantic species of Haliclona with the combination of thickly encrusting to cushion-shaped habit, purple or light pink colour, and a dense (sub)isotropic skeleton with rounded meshes, and without microscleres. Several attempts to amplify COI mtDNA and 28S C2–D2 rRNA for both species were unsuccessful, in spite of the initial successful extraction of genomic DNA. The number of Haliclona spp. known from the Brazilian coast is now 17. The long gap between species collection and formal description supports the concept of the taxonomic impediment, which is particularly marked in speciose taxa with little morphological disparity, as observed in Haplosclerida.

Insect galls from the Botanical Garden of the Museu Nacional (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil).

The Botanical Garden of the Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) was investigated monthly from October, 2017 to December, 2019 in a total of 27 collections, each lasting four hours, following the methodology of random walking. Vegetative and reproductive organs of herbs, bushes and trees (up to 2 m high) were examined by two people. Voucher material was deposited in the Entomological Collection of the Museu Nacional (MNRJ)/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. We found 13 insect gall morphotypes in nine host plant species of four families. All host plants are native of Brazil, except Ficus microcarpa L.f. (Moraceae), which is naturalized. Myrtaceae and Moraceae were the plant families with the greatest richness of gall morphotypes. Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) and Ficus L. (Moraceae) were the plant genera with the highest number of gall morphotypes. In several inventories in the Atlantic forest, Myrtaceae and Eugenia stand out for harboring a great variety of galls, while Moraceae and Ficus were never stood out for this reason. Most plant species mentioned in the present study were already known as hosts of gall-inducing insects in Brazil. However, for the first time, insect galls are reported on Ficus crocata (Miq.) Miq. (Moraceae). We found two new morphotypes on Eugenia florida DC. (Myrtaceae). Leaves, stems and buds were the galled organs. Cecidomyiidae were the most frequent inducers. Galls of Thysanoptera were also found. Inquilines were observed in leaf galls on Eugenia florida. They promoted differences in gall morphology and killed the gall-inducing larva.

“Authentic provenance”

Nineteenth-century zoological collections consisted of large series of animals, which had been trapped, uprooted, hunted, killed, put into containers, dried, and preserved. From distant far-flung outposts overseas, colonial collections were shipped to central metropolitan institutions where they were claimed as a crucial part of the understanding of global biodiversity. Knowledge about nature was reliant on such scientific specimens and, therefore, dependent on fieldwork, which comprised much more than the act itself of sampling nature. Collecting from the field is a matter of access to places, materials, tools, and people with the know-how to find, capture, and interpret nature and, often, to prepare animals as specimens. Although different layers of labor, expertise, and knowledge lie behind zoological collections, much of it was produced and negotiated outside museums’ walls. Using the historical documentation of zoological collections in the Museu Nacional de Lisboa in the second half of the nineteenth century as a case study, this paper highlights the role of colonial suppliers as mediators for the museum’s agenda while adjusting to local circumstances and maintaining their own personal goals. Studies of historical provenance have clarified not only how zoological specimens were gathered and collated but also how their geographical origin was used as a mechanism of centralization of authority.

The Fossil Fishes of the “Rocha” Collection Housed in the Museu Nacional and the Types Described by Jordan & Branner in 1908

In 1908, D.S. Jordan J.C. Branner described the following species of fossil fishes from the Araripe Basin: Calamopleurus vestitus, Cearana rochae, Enneles audax, and Tharrias araripis. Such material of the “Rocha Collection”, that was made by Francisco Dias da Rocha (1869-1960), were passed on to the Government of the State of Ceará. In 1961, Carlos de Paula Couto, negotiated the donation of the paleontological collections for the Museu Nacional. We review herein the history of the fossil fishes of the “Rocha Collection” that was housed in the Museu Nacional in, with an emphasis on type material. The documents and literature were consulted, and the fossil fishes were examined and photographed. This material corresponds to 12 catalogue numbers, three of which are replicas of the type- material housed in the Department of Geology, California Academy of Sciences, in California. The remaining nine numbers encompass 27 specimens referring to original material. The represented taxa are: Vinctifer comptoni, Notelops brama, Cladocyclus gardneri, Rhacolepis buccalis, Tharrhias araripis, and Brannerion sp. The only type material found was Cearana rochae, currently a synonym of Tharrhias araripis. This historical rescue of the “Rocha” collection type material will facilitate the investigation of researchers studying the paleoichthyofauna of the Araripe Basin.

Historical woods of traditional Brazilian boats

Summary Wood has been historically used to build traditional boats in Brazil. The present study examined different types of wood used in the boat collection of the Museu Nacional do Mar (Portuguese for National Museum of the Sea). Samples were collected with a Pressler borer and incorporated into the JOIw xylarium. Histological and anatomical descriptions followed usual wood anatomy protocols. Wood of 15 species of low, medium, and high density was microscopically identified. Most of the species are native to forests that surround the waterways where the boats were built, although some were imported from more distant forests. We believe the wood anatomy shows the relationship between human societies and forest resources used in navel carpentry. Additionally, wood surveys like this broaden our knowledge on the cultural heritage, ethnobotanic, and technological properties knowledge, which ultimately contribute to biodiversity conservation.

The golden age (1862–1910) of the Zoological Section of the Museu Nacional de Lisboa (National Museum of Lisbon), Portugal

This paper provides an overview of the organization and first decades of the Zoological Section of the Museu Nacional de Lisboa (National Museum of Lisbon), under the leadership of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823–1907), a Portuguese zoologist who attained international recognition. The article discusses the contributions made by a small community of zoologists, who joined transnational networks and gave projection to the institution by founding and disseminating the first Portuguese journal exclusively devoted to scientific research, the Jornal de sciencias mathematicas, physicas e naturaes, in which they published their original research. The animal collections of the Zoological Section were unique in that they had numerous specimens of previously unknown Southwestern African birds and reptiles, most of which were sent by José de Anchieta, who extensively travelled across the Angolan hinterland. From its inception, the museum was tied to a higher education institution, the Escola Politécnica de Lisboa (Lisbon Polytechnic School), and also fulfilled a pedagogical function. Although the Zoological Section survived the death of its founder, being renamed Museu Bocage (Bocage Museum) in 1905, it failed to gain more autonomy in subsequent decades, becoming a constrained institution that lacked premises and personnel to meet its rising demands. After a fire that destroyed almost all its specimens in 1978, the recently reformed Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência (National Museum of Natural History and Science) is trying to write a new chapter by honouring its long history.