Heritage Cases

Motivation for the loan of SAIAB specimens – summary of project. Recent advances in the application of ancient DNA methodology for DNA sequencing of preserved museum specimens are most promising for obtaining sequence information from challenging samples, such as formaldehyde fixed material including genome level sequencing (e.g. Straube, Lyra et al. 2021; Hahn et al. 2021). Our motivation to request a tissue subsample of SAIAB 234126 (Latimeria chalumnae holotype) aims to attempt sequencing the entire genome of the coelacanth holotype. Genomic information of this specimen is not only of historic value given the popularity of the specimen as the major example in use for the debated expression ‘living fossil’ but can also provide information on population affiliation. As the specimen was originally discovered on a fish market, locating the potential type locality using publicly available DNA data from Latimeria is of further interest. DNA will be extracted and sequenced in the historical laboratories of the Potsdam University, the SNSB Bavarian Collection of Zoology (ZSM) will curate the sample until tissue remains will be returned to SAIAB. The Original Holotype specimen is held at the East London Museum (and is on display there). The specimen was caught by a fishing trawler off the Chalumna River mouth in 1938, and then found at a market by Majorie Courtenay-Latimer. She then sent drawings of the specimen to icthyologist J. L. B. Smith at Rhodes University. The East London Museum gifted a small piece of one of the fins from the specimen to the SAIAB. This sample is owned by the SAIAB and forms part of their biobank.