Mammals
Documentation Standards for Automatic Data Processing in Mammalogy
VERSION 2.0
1996
ISBN 0-89338-051-2
American Society of Mammalogists
Committee on Information Retrieval
Suzanne B. McLaren, Chair
Peter V. August, Leslie N. Carraway, Paisley S. Cato, William L. Gannon, Marie Lawrence, Norman A. Slade, Philip D. Sudman, Richard W. Thorington, Jr., Stephen L. Williams, Susan M. Woodward
V. OTHER DATA
Documentation standards in this section apply to data for material used in databases that do not apply to categories in other sections.
A. REMARKS OR COMMENTS
DESCRIPTION: This category serves the purpose of supplementing and/or adding to data presented in formatted categories, particularly when data do not conform to the respective category standards. It may also be used for data that do not relate to other category designations adopted by the institution.
FORMAT: This category is not intended for retrieval operations, so the format and types of information used are determined by the institution. Data in this category should not be abbreviated unless such abbreviations occur in the STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS LIST (APPENDIX B) or in Yates et al., (1987) or similarly recognized standards of the discipline. Complete sentence structure is preferred.
ACCEPTED VARIATIONS: None.
OMIT CONDITIONS: If this category is adopted by the institution, it may be omitted if no applicable data are available.
CONTINGENCY REQUIREMENTS: This category has no contingency requirements unless an asterisk (*) is used in another category (e.g., I. AVAILABILITY STATUS, III. DATE COLLECTED, and III. TYPE OF PRESERVATION) to indicate additional information is recorded in the category for V. REMARKS.
VALID EXAMPLES:
SPECIMEN NOT FOUND DURING INVENTORY OF JAN 1970.
SPECIMEN EXCHANGED TO AMNH ON 30 SEP 1951.
COLLECTING DATE RECORDED AS 15 AUG 1967 - 10 SEP 1967
COMMENTS: This field could be used to include other information such as I. PUBLISHED RECORD, III. ECOLOGICAL NOTES, I. SPECIAL NUMBER or V. ANCILLARY COLLECTION , V. CONDITION REPORTING, and information lacking documentation standards required for effective data manipulation.
B. ANCILLARY COLLECTIONS—Optional.
DESCRIPTION: This category records the existence of supplementary or ancillary preparations and documentation that accompany or complement the primary specimen (as described under the III. TYPE OF PRESERVATION category) and for which a separate collection is maintained. Ancillary collections include parasites, phalli, photographs, slides, field notes, stomach contents and frozen tissues, blood components, and cell suspensions.
FORMAT: The format and types of information used are determined by the institution to fulfill its individual needs. Data about ancillary preparations are coded to standardize information and minimize space requirements. Entries should be separated by commas.
VALID EXAMPLES:
| NONFROZEN PREPARATIONS |
FROZEN PREPARATIONS |
| CR Conservation records |
BR Brain |
| FN Field notes |
DT Digestive tract |
| NG Negatives |
EM Embryo |
| PR Prints |
EY Eyes |
| SL Slides |
H Heart |
| SR Sound recordings |
HT Homogenated tissues |
| MP Maps |
K Kidney |
| |
L Liver |
| DC Dental casts |
M Muscle |
| EC Endocranial casts |
SE Semen |
| HS Histological slides |
SP Spleen |
| KS Karyotype slides |
T Testis |
| CS Cleared and stained samples |
B Blood-whole |
| EP Ectoparasites |
P Plasma |
| NP Endoparasites |
S Serum |
| HR Hair samples |
A Antisera |
| PI Phalli |
C Cell lines |
| SA Scat |
GL Genome libraries |
| ST Sectioned teeth |
IP Isolated proteins |
| SC Stomach contents |
NA Nucleic acids |
| EA Embryos - in alcohol |
OT Other |
| OA Organs - in alcohol |
HT* Homogenates of multiple tissues |
* Homogenates of specific tissues shall bear the suffix of "/H"
(e.g.,H/H = Heart homogenate; BR/H = Brain homogenate)
COMMENTS: The use of this category facilitates access to all preparations and supplementary documentation records for a particular specimen. It enhances the institution’s ability to maximize the research potential of its specimens. Some listings may be more reasonably handled under III. TYPE OF PRESERVATION in many collections. Due to the volatile nature of frozen preparations, it is recommended that this category be used merely to record the fact that frozen preparations existed at a point in time, thus providing a method to trace data associated with these preparations. This is particularly true when ancillary materials and voucher specimens are held by separate institutions. A separate data file should be used for physical tracking of individual frozen samples.
C. CONDITION REPORTING—Optional.
DESCRIPTION: This category applies to the condition of a specimen at a given point in time.
FORMAT: The format and types of information used are determined by the institution to fulfill its specific needs. Recommended format includes the date (month/year), followed by a dash (-) and observations about the specimen. Observations are coded to standardize information and minimize space requirements. Different observations for a given time are separated by a comma and a space, whereas observations for different times are separated by a semicolon and a space. The coding of specimen condition involves the use of three descriptions—POSITION, FEATURE, and CONDITION. The following is a listing of suggested abbreviations:
| FEATURE |
CONDITION |
POSITION |
| HEAD |
BR = broken |
R = right |
| TAIL |
CR = cracked |
L = left |
| BODY |
DS = distorted |
F = front; anterior |
| HAIR |
DT = detached |
B = back; posterior |
| LEG |
LS = loose |
U = upper; dorsal |
| FOOT |
MS = missing |
L = lower; ventral |
| NAIL |
PD = part detached |
|
| EYE |
PM = part missing |
|
| NOSE |
SO = soiled, greasy |
|
| EAR |
AB = abraded |
|
| MTH = mouth |
CC = crushed |
|
| CRN = cranium |
CD = creased |
|
| RAM = ramus |
DC = discolored |
|
| MAN = mandible |
ID = insect damage |
|
| NSL = nasal |
TR = torn |
|
| PMX = premaxilla |
OK = no damage |
|
| MXL = maxilla |
|
|
| ZYG = zygomatic arch |
|
|
| PRT = parietal |
|
|
| ORB = orbital region |
|
|
| PTG = pterygoid |
|
|
| LAB = label |
|
|
| HRN = horn or antler |
|
|
| PCR = postcranial |
|
|
| BBC = braincase region |
|
|
| RST = rostral region |
|
|
| PLT = palatal region |
|
|
| SQM = squamosal |
|
|
| IPRT = interparietal |
|
|
| CRP = coronoid process |
|
|
| ARP = articular process |
|
|
| ANP = angular process |
|
|
| D = dentition; tusk |
|
|
| I = incisor |
|
|
| C = canine |
|
|
| P = premolar |
|
|
| M = molar |
|
|
| OCC = occipital region |
|
|
| FRT = frontal |
|
|
| TMP = temporal |
|
| AUD = auditory bulla |
|
ACCEPTED VARIATIONS: None.
OMIT CONDITIONS: The category may be omitted when the specimen has not been evaluated and appropriate data have not been determined. See COMMENTS below.
VALID EXAMPLES:
1/1990 - OK
6/1990 - ULM3 DT, LLM1 MS
2/1991 - ULM3 MS, LLM2 DT
COMMENTS: This category enhances the institution’s ability to electronically 1) assess research value of specimens in morphological studies, 2) maintain information normally recorded for loans, and 3) monitor stability of specimens through time. Ultimately, this category may be used to assess the physical condition of the entire collection. The format is suitable for current practices, yet provides sufficient detail to serve objectives of condition reporting for conservation. See also Woodward (1989b) for a simplified scheme.
I. INSTITUTIONAL DATA
II. TAXONOMIC DATA
III. SPECIMEN DATA
IV. GEOGRAPHIC DATA
V. OTHER DATA
VI. APPENDICES
APPENDIX A. LISTING OF CATEGORIES BY USAGE STATUS
APPENDIX B. LISTING OF STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS
APPENDIX C. NOTATIONS ON THE CHIN SYSTEM
APPENDIX D. SAMPLE DATA RELEASE AGREEMENT
VII. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
VIII. LITERATURE CITED