Nematode Collection

The University of California Riverside Nematode Collection (UCRNC) was founded by S. Sher in 1953 from surveys in California and the western United States but grew rapidly from collecting trips by S. Van Gundy in New Zealand and Australia and by Sher in Europe and Asia as well as contributions from surveys throughout the world; currently about 45% of the slide collection and about 70% of the wet collection is from outside North American. Today the UCRNC type collection includes 3,184 slides (about 13,000 types). In addition to types, the collection houses 33,406 slides (about 213,000 specimens) and 16,170 vials of wet collections. The UCRNC collection has expanded in conjunction with supporting roles in rapidly increasing nematode-worldwide biotic surveys, systematics and phylogenetic research. The taxonomic breadth spans the phylum, but the very large proportion in Tylenchida (special strengths in Tylenchorhynchidae, Pratylenchidae, Hoplolaimidae) and certain Dorylaimida reflect the history of both collections including the founders’ focus on plant parasitic groups. In contrast, more users of the collection and recent acquisitions reflect increasing support and research interest in previously “underrepresented” free-living soil and marine nematodes: Rhabditina, Cephalobina, Enoplina and Chromodorina.