Short Description
With over 1,000,000 objects, the collection is the largest within 1st Zoological Department (Vertebrates). Due to its historical value—two-thirds of the objects date from the 19th and early 20th centuries—the collection is among the most important in Europe.
The inventory comprise approximately 1,000,000 alcohol-preserved specimens (in about 140,000 series), around 2,000 taxidermied specimens, and approximately 4,500 osteological specimens, including more than 1,200 mounted skeletons and 633 flat skeletons. The type collection, encompassing over 2,000 species, is among the most important in the world.
Among the most significant collections are those of Johann B. Natterer (1787–1843), Johann J. Heckel (1790–1857), Rudolf Kner (1810–1868), Franz Steindachner (1834–1919), and Victor Pietschmann (1881–1956), as well as objects from the "Novara" expedition (circumnavigation of the globe, 1857–1859) and the "Pola" expedition (Austro-Hungarian deep-sea expedition, 1890–1898, in the Adriatic Sea, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Red Sea).
The collection includes specimens from all continents, with the most extensive collections originating from Brazil, the USA, Italy, and Austria.
Approximately 95% of the total inventory is cataloged on index cards and accessible in an Access-based database.
Beyond the custodial and administrative tasks of expanding, preserving, and making the collection accessible to the public, the staff of the collection—often in cooperation with (inter)national colleagues—conduct scholarly research and respond to inquiries from researchers, students, and interested members of the public.
The fish collection's specialist library comprises approximately 400 journals and about 3,000 monographs, including over 1,000 works from the 16th to the 19th centuries. It is a reference library; loans are only possible in exceptional cases and upon prior request.
The collection is referenced in scientific literature by the acronym "NMW" (derived from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) or since 2025 by "NHMW-ZOO-FS".
Contact Person
Silke Schweiger
Research Services
Possible after consultation:
• Fish identification
• DNA analyses of tissue samples
• Provision of photo material
• Support of research with respect to issues concerning the collection
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
• Fish identification based on morphology and genetics.
• Laboratory and field work.
• Inventory database and index cards with information on date, location and collector (and more) of the scientific material.
• Comprehensive technical library.
• Implementation of research projects with national and international cooperation partners.
• Supervision of master and PhD students.
The following equipment is accessible to research guests:
• 1 stereomicroscope Zeiss SteREO Discovery.V8 (objective S Achromat 0,5x and 0,3x) with camera Axiocam 208 color (image & video)
• 2 stereomicroscopes Wild Heerbrugg M5 & M5A
• Photo station, Nikon Z 6II, NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4S und NIKKOR Z MC 50mm f/2.8
Allocation to research infrastructure
Institute of Fisheries and Marine Ecology, Berdyansk, Ukraine
Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels, Bonn, Germany
JURASSICA Museum, Porrentruy, Switzerland
Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS), University of Vienna, Austria
CIBIO – BioPolis, Porto, Portugal
Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Department for Limnology, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany
Museu de Zoologia - Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil
Awarded by FWF (Austrian Science Funds)
No.: PAT2956625
„Kleine Fische ganz groß – Biodiversität der Elritzen Österreichs“
[Small fish make it big: Biodiversity of Austrian Minnows]
Citizen Science „Sparkling Science 2.0“-Project
Awarded by OEAD and Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research
No.: SPSC 01 021
Palandačić, A., Diripasko, O. A., Kirchner, S., Stefanov, T., & Bogutskaya, N. G. (2024). An integrative approach highlights the discrepancy in the genetic, phenotypic, and presumptive taxonomic structure of Phoxinus (Actinopterygii, Leuciscidae, Phoxininae) in Bulgaria. Journal of Fish Biology, 105(1), 214–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15765
Palandačić, A., Kapun, M., Greve, C., Schell, T., Kirchner, S., Kruckenhauser, L., Szucsich, N., & Bogutskaya, N. (2024). From historical expedition diaries to whole genome sequencing: A case study of the likely extinct Red Sea torpedo ray. Zoologica Scripta, 53(1), 32–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12632
Palandačić, A., Chai, M. J., Shandikov, G. A., Akkari, N., Frade, P. R., Randolf, S., Berg, H.-M., Mikschi, E., & Bogutskaya, N. G. (2024). An annotated catalogue of selected historical type specimens, including genetic data, housed in the Natural History Museum Vienna. ZooKeys, 1203, 253–323. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.117699
Palandačić, A., Kruckenhauser, L., Ahnelt, H., & Mikschi, E. (2020). European minnows through time: Museum collections aid genetic assessment of species introductions in freshwater fishes (Cyprinidae: Phoxinus species complex). Heredity, 124(3), 410–422. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-019-0292-1