Archaeology Collection The Laboratory of Archaeology curates all collections from Georgia produced by the University of Georgia field schools in addition to collections from all over Georgia as well as surrounding states in addition to some ethnographic and archaeological collections from around the world including Iran, Somalia, and Puerto Rico. These collections represent objects from over 16,000 archaeological sites that include some of Georgia's most significant places, such as Etowah (National Register of Historic Places [NRHP], Ossabaw Island (NRHP), Kolomoki (NRHP), as well as large collections excavated by the Works Project Administration (W.P.A) during the 1930s to 1940s from the Georgia Coast and central Georgia. The Laboratory also houses collections from Spanish period and English sites in Georgia, including collections from the many Native American sites that Hernando de Soto (AD 1539-1543) visited on his trek across the Southeastern United States in the sixteenth century. One of the more substantial collections from Georgia includes materials excavated from St. Catherines Island that relate to one of the most completely excavated Spanish mission in the United States.This Laboratory is part of the Department of Anthropology. Arthropods Collection The UGA Collection of Arthropods (UGCA) includes over 2.5 million pinned specimens. In addition the collection houses significant alcohol-preserved and slide-mounted collections. More than 70% of the insect material is determined to species and approximately 60% is from the southeastern United States, as is consistent with our mission to serve as the primary systematics reference for the state. The UGCA is home to several historically significant research collections. The Arthropods Collection is partially supported by the Department of Entomology Botany Collection The Department of Plant Biology Herbarium (GA) is a major regional repository of over 235,000 pressed, dried, and mounted vascular plant samples. It is the most significant research resource of its kind in Georgia and is one of the largest in the Southeast. Its operations, programs, and services are national and international in scope. The Herbarium provides a wide range of important functions. In addition to its role as an educational and research resource, collection personnel respond to specialized information and identification requests each year from individuals as well as municipal, state, and federal agencies throughout the nation. The herbarium's e-mail is ugaherb@plantbio.uga.edu. The Herbarium is housed in the Department of Plant Biology. Geology Collection The Geology Collections include the Allard Collection for Economic Geology, the Mineralogy Collection and the Paleontology Collection. The Allard Collection for Economic Geology represents a lifetime of collecting by Dr. Gilles Allard in ore deposits and mines on every continent, and contains over 20,000 specimens. The collection is now online. It can be searched by mineralogy, mining district, deposit type, or mine locality. The Mineralogy Collection is comprised of over 1,500 specimens from around the world. The Paleontology Collection consists of over 12,000 fossils and casts, including trace fossils from the Robert W. Frey Collection, modern molluscs from southeastern marine systems, and Paleozoic fossils from southeastern localities. These collections provide important reference materials and identification services to various industries and state agencies. The Geology Collection is part of the Department of Geology. Herpetology Collection The Herpetology Collection contains over 46,000 reptile and amphibian specimens and is particularly strong in the species of the southeastern United States. Organization of the collection began in 1940. The collection is the repository for specimens associated with published new county records. The collection contains excellent series of most southeastern species, including endangered, threatened, and rare species. Ichthyology Collection The D. C. Scott Ichthyology Collection contains over one-million alcohol-preserved specimens representing over 825 different species from approximately 100 families. The collection was begun in the 1940s by Donald C. Scott and, therefore, is of major historical importance. The collection contains an excellent series of the freshwater fishes of the southeastern United States, many of which are now endangered, threatened, or rare. For more information on regional fish diversity, see the Fishes of Georgia site. Invertebrate Collection The Grace Thomas Invertebrate Collections include over 10,000 freshwater mussels, a tremendous amount of diversity from Gray's Reef, and a growing number of catalogued (non-insect) invertebrates. Many of the specimens in the Grace Thomas Invertebrate Collections are extinct, endangered, or threatened - fortunately many newer specimens are accessible for genomic work. Mammalogy Collection The Joshua Laerm Mammalogy Collection contains 25,000 specimens including study skins, skeletal material, and alcohol preserved materials. It was organized in the early 1940s by Eugene P. Odum and his students. This is one of a select group of mammal collections accredited (1985) by the American Society of Mammalogists. There are specimens in the collection that date back to the early 1900's thus providing an historical view of the mammals of the state. The strength of the collection is in mammals of the southeastern United States. Mycology Collection The Julian H. Miller Mycological Herbarium is an internationally recognized facility (GAM) housing over 30,000 specimens of fungi from throughout Georgia and the Southeast, as well as other areas of the world. The collection is particularly rich in ascomycetes of Georgia and the tropical Americas. It serves as an official repository for major U.S. Department of Agriculture regional research projects. It is one of the few significant systematic mycological herbaria in the country. The herbarium also contains an extensive library of references and reprints. Ornithology Collection The Ornithology Collection contains 5,650 specimens most of which are study skins. In addition there are 800 bird egg clutches. This collection was organized in the early 1940's by Eugene P. Odum and his students. Many of the collection specimens are from previously rural, now largely urban areas of Georgia. On an international scale, the collection includes a small group of specimens from Central America collected from areas under siege due to devastation of rain forests. We also hold rare bird eggs from around the world, including several extremely fine collections that were previously privately owned. Some of the specimens were collected in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Zooarchaeology Collection The Zooarchaeology Laboratory maintains a reference collection of over 5,100 skeletal specimens of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These specimens are used to identify animal remains from archaeological and paleontological sites. The Collection has provided numerous identifications for museums, universities, and government agencies throughout the Southeast as well as the Caribbean and South America. This is one of very few resources in the southeast that can provide scientists with post-cranial skeleton reference materials.
