Relational database for Ecuadorian mammals deposited in museums around the world

Natural history collections play an essential role in the conservation and study of the biodiversity of our planet. Since the 19th century, increasing collections of fauna from Ecuador have been deposited in numerous institutions around the world. These collections have allowed a better understanding of the distribution and systematics of Neotropical mammals. During 2006, an extensive survey based on scientific literature, natural history museum databases, and personal communications with museum’s staff, was carried out to update our knowledge about collections of Ecuadorian mammals. The main goal of this project was to create a central database, hosted at the Museum of Texas Tech University, with the list of institutions that hold those specimens, dates of collections, taxa represented, and regions surveyed in Ecuador. A total of 42 institutions from South America, North America, and Europe have been identified. An effective collaboration with 28 of these 42 institutions made it possible to compile more than 20,000 records allowing the creation of a centralized database. The system has the advantage of being simple and easily accessed via internet. The information is organized by Geography and Taxonomy criteria allowing queries without limitations. The scope of this project demonstrates effective collaboration among natural history museums in the 21st century.