Victor Tang - Museum trips

My systematics research journey

From late 2023 to 2024, I was fortunate to travel to several countries through various types of funding, including conference support by NTU, the Smithsonian’s Postgraduate Fellowship Program, and some personal funding. During this period, I visited several major fish collections around the world, such as AMS, ANSP, CAS, MNHN, USNM, and BMNH. These visits were mainly connected to my work on the revision of Plectranthias systematics, which required comprehensive examinations of specimens deposited globally, especially valuable type materials.

I often tell my friends how grateful I am for my fish research (especially the anthiases), which has given me the opportunity to visit, stay, and even live in different countries. These experiences have certainly been among the best moments of my early 20s.

Victor in the Australian Museum, 2023 Dec

The Australian Museum (2023 Nov–Dec)

After three years suffering from the COVID pandemics, my first research trip finally came –– the trip to New Zealand for Indo-Pacific Fish Conference 11, followed by a research visit to the fish collection in Australian Museum (AM) in Sydney. I stayed in Sydney for approximate 10 days, spending 8 days working in AM.

Besides examining some anthiadid type specimens in AM (Plectranthias, Lepidoperca, etc.), the most valuable part of the visit was learning the dissection of cleared-and-stained specimens from Dr. Tony Gill — a classical comparative anatomical approach in fish systematics.

I am really grateful to the hospitality from Amanda and Kerryn, who made all the necessary arrangement for me. I was also delighted to meet Dr. Yi-Kai Tea, Dr. Hiroyuki Motomura, Dr. Tony Miskiewicz, Yuna Dewa, during this trip.

That time was the early summer days in Sydney. After finishing my work at the fish collection each day, I usually had about three hours before sunset to explore the city. I visited places such as Hyde Park, the Royal Botanic Garden, Watsons Bay, and Bondi Beach. I also enjoyed doing grocery shopping at the large supermarkets in Sydney, getting vegetables, fish and bread for my dinner.

The Smithsonian (2024 Jun–Aug)

Shortly after my Master’s oral defense, I received wonderful news — I had been awarded the Smithsonian Postgraduate Fellowship to continue my study on anthiadids, using specimens housed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C.

The NMNH hosts the largest fish collection in the world. In addition to numerous anthiadid type specimens deposited over the past century, the collection includes material gathered by historic expeditions such as those of the R/V Albatross, R/V Townsend Cromwell, and R/V Cape St. Mary in the central to western Pacific, as well as more recent deep-reef fishes collected through the DROP program in the Caribbean.”

At NMNH, I was fortunate to have Dr. Carole Baldwin and Dr. Kate Bemis as my short-term advisors. During my stay in Washington, D.C., I was very lucky to be hosted by Dr. James Mead, a retired NMNH curator of marine mammals. I am deeply grateful for their kindness and hospitality, especially as this was my first and longer stay (2 months) in the US.

I also had the opportunity to meet and discuss my research with some of the leading ichthyologists at NMNH, including Dr. David Smith, Dr. David Johnson, Dr. Lynne Parenti, Dr. Matt Girard, and Dr. Murilo Nogueira de Lima Pastana, and more ...

My time in Washington D.C. was very great. I had some chill Friday evening parties or dinners with James, and went fishing in the Virginia's countryside with my colleague, Ned Rose. My goal is to get a bowfin in the US, but unfortunately I didn't. As other NMNH fish folks, I visited Bruce's Farm and play with the horses.

Natural History Museum, London (2024 Oct)

Unexpected things kept happening in 2024. After completing my Smithsonian Fellowship, I returned to Taiwan, received my graduation certificate, and entered a gap period. Since I had managed to save some money from my fellowship stipend, I planned another trip — to visit several European museums.

The Natural History Museum in London (NHM) had long been on my list. It houses several important anthiadid type specimens, including Plectranthias anthioides (the type species of Plectranthias Bleeker, 1873) and Xenanthias gardineri (the type species of Xenanthias Regan, 1908). I contacted Mr. James Maclaine and was delighted to confirm my short visit to NHM.

But, I missed to check some important things in NMH --- the Reeves Collection of Chinese Fish Drawings!

Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (2024 Nov)

Here came the final stop of my European trip — the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN) in Paris. MNHN was at the very top of my visiting list, as it houses an enormous number of specimens collected from various locations across the Indo–West Pacific through the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos Program. As I had anticipated, I kept discovering potential new anthiadid species throughout my two-week visit. I would say that MNHN is not for beginners — even for me, identifying anthiadids there was quite challenging. I was stunned by the unknown diversity of anthiadid in IWP.

MNHN is also one of the museums with the highest number of anthiadid type specimens. Many of these were contributed by the late Dr. Pierre Fourmanoir, a French ichthyologist who devoted much of his career to studying fishes from Madagascar, New Caledonia, and the Philippines.

Paris is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. After finishing my work at MNHN, I spent some time wandering around the city — doing groceries, and stopping by bakeries for croissants and cakes. The MNHN visit is, for now, my most recent research trip. I hope that after settling into my PhD and passing my proposal examination, I can continue my museum journeys in the near future.

To be continued.

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