Development of an integrated paleontological database and Web site of Florissant collections, taxonomy, and publications

Meyer, Herbert; Wasson, Matthew; Frakes, Brent

A detailed survey of collections and publications for the Florissant fossil beds (Colorado, USA) forms the basis for developing a new relational database and Website that documents information that had become widely scattered following 130 years of scientific study at Florissant. More than 1700 species that remain valid, mostly ofplants, insects, and spiders, had been described in more than 300 publications, andthese published specimens had been dispersed among ~15 museums. Some of thesespecimens were not well documented in original publications and many of the typespecimens had never been illustrated.Catalog data were compiled on-site at museums, specimens were photographed,and all of the publications referring to Florissant specimens were located. Taxonomicclassifi cation of the fossils was updated to modern concepts. A relational databaseincorporates the data into five core tables for specimens, bibliography, references tospecimens in publication, taxonomy, and images. The database allows for complexsearches to interrelate these categories, enabling new research and facilitating collectionsmanagement. Examples show that the largest number of scientific publicationsand new species descriptions appeared from 1890 to 1920 and that most of the originallydescribed insect species, but only about half of the plant species, still remainvalid and unrevised. Digital images of the fossils and digital fi les for pre-1923 publicationsform an archive that is linked to the data records. A Web site makes the databasepublicly accessible for technical use, and also provides a less complex application forthe layperson as well as a new college-level curriculum.

Development of an integrated paleontological database and Web site of Florissant collections, taxonomy, and publications

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