Montana State University Vertebrate Museum Fish Collection

The Montana State University Vertebrate Museum Collection (MTVC) houses an expansive fish collection, containing historic and contemporary specimens that have contributed to decades of teaching and research. From 2018 to 2022, Montana State University, funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources “Hidden Collections” grant, digitized fish specimens housed in the MTVC. This produced over 2900 metadata records detailing sampling localities, collecting dates, and identifications of fish collected mainly from Montana, USA. The metadata records reveal the efforts of over 150 collectors, spanning seven decades of sampling. This dataset makes available the information associated with 48,000 individual fish specimens from 102 species stored in the MTVC. Digitization of this collection accompanies the previously digitized Montana Prairie Fish Collection at Montana State University. Together, they provide a comprehensive insight into the distribution of fishes in Montana over time and across habitats.