What is Ichthyology?

Amanda Hay, Ichthyology Collection Manager at the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), takes us behind the scenes of the AM collections to explore the study of fishes. The Australian Museum Ichthyology Collection consists of both adult and larval fish specimens. It is most likely the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and is the fourth largest collection of Primary Type species in the world. The overall size of the collection is estimated to be approximately 194,086 lots made up of 650,000 adult and 1,000,000 larvae specimens. The collection, of which 100 percent has been digitised, also consists of 2,500 Type specimens dating back to the 1800s, upon which the original scientific description of the relevant species was based.