The state of Alabama historically supported North America’s most diverse invertebrate fauna. This diversity is reflected in its spiders and millipedes. Unfortunately, this spectacular biodiversity has been severely compromised by human activities. Modification of native ecosystems has resulted in substantial habitat loss or degradation, and many species now have highly fragmented distributions.
The AUMNH Arachnid and Myriapod collection gratefully accepts material from agencies, consulting firms, and private or amateur collectors. We will gladly identify specimens provided some material is included for assimilation into the collection. The AUMNH is a public resource and access to and deposition of material into all collections is provided free of charge. For more information regarding data use, specimen loans, and visiting the Invertebrate collections please contact the Collections Manager.
To search the Arachnid and Myriapod catalog, please click here.
Staff
- Collections Manager – Melissa Callahan, Ph.D.
Volunteers
The research staff sponsors students in a wide variety of roles from graduate students, to undergraduate students seeking research experience, to volunteers to contribute to various aspects of collection maintenance. We encourage all those interested in learning how to curate a significant museum collection to contact the Collections manager. The experience gained in collections maintenance will help students prepare for jobs and graduate school.