2021-S-0014 Standard for Reference 

Collections in Wildlife Forensic Biology: Genetics and Vertebrate Morphology

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2021-S-0014

Standard for Reference 

Collections in Wildlife 

Forensic Biology: Genetics 

and Vertebrate Morphology

Wildlife Forensic Biology Subcommittee

Biology Scientific Area Committee

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science
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Draft OSAC Proposed Standard

2021-S-0014

Standard for Reference Collections in 

Wildlife Forensic Biology: Genetics 

and Vertebrate Morphology

Prepared by 

Wildlife Forensic Biology Subcommittee

Version: 1.0

June 2021

Disclaimer:

This OSAC Proposed Standard was written by the Wildlife Forensic Biology 

Subcommittee/Biology Scientific Area Committee of the Organization of Scientific Area 

Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science following a process that includes an open comment 

period. This Proposed Standard will be submitted to a standards developing organization and is 

subject to change. 

There may be references in an OSAC Proposed Standard to other publications under 

development by OSAC. The information in the Proposed Standard, and underlying concepts and 

methodologies, may be used by the forensic-science community before the completion of such 

companion publications. 

Any identification of commercial equipment, instruments, or materials in the Proposed Standard 

is not a recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Government and does not imply that the 

equipment, instruments, or materials are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

To be placed on the OSAC Registry, certain types of standards first must be reviewed by a 

Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP). The STRP process is vital to OSAC’s mission of 

generating and recognizing scientifically sound standards for producing and interpreting forensic 

science results. The STRP shall provide critical and knowledgeable reviews of draft standards or 

of proposed revisions of standards previously published by standards developing organizations 

(SDOs) to ensure that the published methods that practitioners employ are scientifically valid, 

and the resulting claims are trustworthy.
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The STRP panel will consist of an independent and diverse panel, including subject matter 

experts, human factors scientists, quality assurance personnel, and legal experts, which will be 

tasked with evaluating the proposed standard based on a comprehensive list of science-based 

criteria. 

For more information about this important process, please visit our website at: Scientific & 

Technical Review Panels. 
2021-S-0014 Standard for Reference 

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2 Foreword 

3 This document recognizes the need for building and maintaining reference collections in wildlife forensic 

4 biology and provides standards for acquiring, verifying the taxonomic identity of, and curating reference 

5 specimens, as well as permanently removing reference specimens from a collection. Comparison of 

6 unknown materials to known reference specimens, such as, but not limited to, prepared skins, feathers, 

7 skeletons, and tissue, is a fundamental aspect of wildlife forensic examinations for taxonomic 

8 identification of evidence items. Reference specimens are not only used to identify evidentiary unknowns, 

9 but also to characterize variation, to develop new analytical methods, and to train new forensic 

10 practitioners. Moreover, they can be used for verifying the taxonomic identity of newly acquired 

11 reference specimens, as well as validation studies and proficiency tests. Proper maintenance of reference 

12 collections is essential. Reference specimens in wildlife forensic laboratories must generally be 

13 maintained in perpetuity to allow for their accessibility during future judicial proceedings.

14 This document does not address standards for capture and euthanasia of live animals to be used as 

15 reference specimens. This document also does not address the collection and storage of forensic evidence, 

16 nor the analytical process of using reference specimens in forensic casework.

17 This standard specifically addresses genetic and vertebrate morphology reference collections in wildlife 

18 forensic biology. It acknowledges, but does not attempt to duplicate, the extensive body of peer-reviewed 

19 literature that exists both on the importance of, and protocols for, curating comparative research 

20 collections, such as those residing in natural history museums. The standards set forth here recognize that 

21 the materials curated in wildlife forensic laboratories vary and may include diverse sample types, and in 

22 most instances, can be acquired without the need to take live animals from the wild.

23 This standard was developed by the Wildlife Forensic Biology Subcommittee of the Organization of 

24 Scientific Area Committees. 

25 All hyperlinks and web addresses shown in this document are current as of the publication date of this 

26 standard.

27

28 Keywords: Curation, Reference specimens, Taxonomic identity

29

30
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31 Table of Contents

32 1. Scope 4

33 2. Normative References 4

34 3. Terms and Definitions 4

35 4. Requirements 5

36

37 Annex A (informative) Bibliography 7

38
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39

40 Standard for Reference Collections in Wildlife Forensic Biology: Genetics and Vertebrate 

41 Morphology

42 1 Scope

43 This standard provides requirements for acquiring, verifying the taxonomic identity of, and curating 

44 reference specimens to be used in wildlife forensic casework, research, training, validation studies, and 

45 proficiency testing related to taxonomic identification using genetics or vertebrate morphology. This 

46 standard also provides requirements for permanently removing reference specimens from a collection. 

47 This document does not address standards for capture and euthanasia of live animals to be used as 

48 reference specimens. This document also does not address the collection and storage of forensic evidence, 

49 nor the analytical process of using reference specimens in forensic casework.

50 2 Normative References 

51 ANSI/ASB Standard 048 – Wildlife Forensic DNA Standard Procedures, First Edition, 2019

52 See Annex A, Bibliography, for other references.

53 3 Terms and Definitions

54 For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply. 

55 3.1 curated collection

56 reference collection

57 An assemblage of reference materials acquired and maintained with associated data according to explicit 

58 quality control standards. (source: OSAC Lexicon)

59

60 3.2 curation

61 The process of managing and preserving a collection according to professional museum standards and 

62 archival practices. (source: 36 C.F.R. 79.4(b))

63

64 3.3 proficiency test 

65 Test to evaluate analysts, technical support personnel, or the quality performance of an organization. Four 

66 examples are: 1) Open test—Analyst(s) and technical support personnel are aware they are being tested. 

67 2) Blind test—Analyst(s) and technical support personnel are not aware they are being tested. 3) Internal 

68 test—Conducted by the organization itself. 4) External test—Conducted by an organization independent 

69 of the organization being tested. (source: OSAC Lexicon)

70

71 3.4 reference specimens

72 Whole animals and their parts or derivatives, or genetic material of known identity.

73

74 3.5 taxonomic identification

75 Analyses to establish the classification of an organism to family, genus, species, etc. These analyses are 

76 based on class characters diagnostic for the taxonomic level in question. (source: OSAC Lexicon)

77

78 3.6 validation

79 validation study

80 The process of performing and evaluating a set of experiments that establish the efficacy, reliability, and 

81 limitations of a method, procedure or modification thereof; establishing recorded documentation that 
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82 provides a high degree of assurance that a specific process will consistently produce an outcome meeting 

83 its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. May include developmental and/or internal 

84 validation. (source: OSAC Lexicon)

85

86 4 Requirements

87 The following requirements address criteria for the acquisition (4.1), verification of taxonomic identity 

88 (4.2), curation (4.3), and permanent removal (4.4) of wildlife forensic reference specimens. 

89

90 4.1 Acquisition – To ensure that specimens included in a reference collection have been appropriately 

91 obtained, each laboratory acquiring reference specimens shall:

92

93 4.1.1 comply with all relevant local, state, federal, and international laws, regulations, and 

94 treaties regarding the acquisition and possession of biological samples;

95

96 4.1.2 comply with all relevant ethical and welfare guidelines regarding specimen collection;

97

98 4.1.3 designate a person or person(s) to be responsible for acquiring reference specimens from 

99 sources that can include scientific researchers, law enforcement personnel, museum reference 

100 collections, university collections, zoo collections, lay collectors, and/or commercial vendors;

101

102 4.1.4 institute appropriate measures to ensure individual and public health safety (e.g., prevent 

103 human and animal disease transmission and exposure to toxins);

104

105 4.1.5 maintain a written scope of the reference collection that explains why it includes and 

106 maintains particular specimens, including particular taxonomic groups and sample types.

107

108 This scope shall minimally describe:

109

110 a) specimens needed to conduct forensic casework;

111

112 b) accepted quality of associated data (e.g., provenance information, age, sex);

113

114 c) accepted condition of the specimen or specimen parts;

115

116 d) the need for representation of biological variation within and across species, 

117 including variation associated with sex and age;

118

119 e) laboratory curation capabilities (e.g., preparation methods, storage facilities);

120

121 f) specimens needed to conduct training;

122

123 g) specimens needed to conduct proficiency testing;

124

125 h) specimens needed to conduct validation studies;

126

127 i) specimens needed to conduct scientific research.

128

129 4.2 Verification of taxonomic identity – To ensure that specimens included in a reference collection have

130 been accurately identified to the relevant taxonomic level prior to its use in a forensic context, each 
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131 laboratory shall:

132

133 4.2.1 verify the taxonomic identity of each specimen, regardless of specimen source, and with 

134 consideration of associated data;

135

136 NOTE: Not all reference specimens require identification to species-level to be useful in 

137 wildlife forensic comparisons. In some cases, reference specimens can serve as examples 

138 of higher taxonomic levels (e.g., genus, family).

139

140 4.2.2 designate a qualified person(s) to verify specimens who has sufficient knowledge of the 

141 taxonomic groups under consideration;

142

143 4.2.3 maintain a protocol for verification of taxonomic identity using morphology or genetic 

144 methods that includes one or more of the following: 

145

146 a) comparison of genetic data from taxonomically informative genetic loci/regions from 

147 the specimen to known reference genetic data within the laboratory following ANSI/ASB 

148 Standard 048; 

149

150 b) comparison of genetic sequences from taxonomically informative genetic loci/regions

151 from the specimen to genetic sequences in a public database following ANSI/ASB 

152 Standard 048;

153

154 c) comparison of taxonomically informative morphological characters of the specimen to 

155 known reference specimens, either within the laboratory or within other reference 

156 collections (e.g., natural history museums);

157

158 d) comparison of taxonomically informative morphological characters of the specimen to 

159 data in published literature, such as but not limited to peer-reviewed journal articles, 

160 taxonomic monographs, identification keys, field guides.

161

162 4.2.4 document and maintain records regarding the person(s) who verified the reference 

163 specimen, the date of verification of taxonomic identity, and the taxonomic authority used for 

164 verification.

165

166 4.2.5 require that personnel verifying taxonomic identity remain current on relevant taxonomic 

167 changes in the scientific literature. 

168

169 4.2.6 reevaluate reference specimens using laboratory protocols established in 4.2.3 following 

170 relevant taxonomic changes identified in the scientific literature as needed.

171

172 NOTE: In some cases, reevaluation may result in reference specimens being identified to

173 higher taxonomic levels (e.g., genus, family).

174

175 4.3 Curation – To ensure that specimens included in a reference collection are maintained

176 in a manner that preserves their integrity (including associated data), longevity, and chain of 

177 documentation, each laboratory shall:

178

179 4.3.1 maintain a protocol that:

180

181 a) designates laboratory personnel responsible for collection curation;
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182

183 b) designates laboratory personnel who will be allowed access to the reference collection;

184

185 c) describes laboratory procedures used for preparing specimens;

186

187 d) describes laboratory procedures for labeling specimens;

188

189 e) describes laboratory procedures for cataloging specimens; 

190

191 f) describes laboratory procedures for protecting reference specimens from damage (e.g., 

192 pest control and management, humidity and temperature controls, light exposure, archival 

193 storage materials); 

194

195 g) lists taxonomic authorities used for verification and reevaluation of taxonomic identity.

196

197 NOTE: The extensive literature on curation provides protocols that can readily be adapted to 

198 fulfill requirements 4.3.1c, d, e, and f. See the Bibliography (Annex A) for selected 

199 references.

200

201 4.3.2 maintain a reference database (paper and/or digital) that includes a unique identifying 

202 number and taxonomic identity for each reference specimen, along with its associated data if 

203 available, including but not limited to:

204

205 a) date of specimen collection,

206

207 b) date of specimen donation,

208

209 c) name of specimen collector,

210

211 d) name of specimen donor,

212

213 e) name of person who verified taxonomic identity,

214

215 f) date of verification of taxonomic identity,

216

217 g) taxonomic authority used for verification,

218

219 h) collection locality (e.g., GPS coordinates, city, county, state, country),

220

221 i) condition of specimen upon collection (e.g., live, dead, roadkill),

222

223 j) method of collection,

224

225 k) sex of specimen,

226

227 l) age or age class of specimen,

228

229 m) specimen type (e.g., complete skeleton, partial skeleton, skin, feather, fresh tissue, blood, 

230 bone, hair, DNA),

231
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232 n) other pertinent information, such as necropsy report (e.g., from a zoo, rehabilitation 

233 facility, veterinarian), available genetic data, previous collection numbers, and duplicate 

234 samples from the same specimen.

235

236 4.3.3 ensure that the reference database is backed up routinely to preserve the data.

237

238 4.3.4 maintain a protocol that describes laboratory procedures and personnel responsible for 

239 reference database access, data entry, data storage, and data management.

240

241 4.4 Permanent removal of reference specimens from a reference collection – Each laboratory shall 

242 have a protocol for permanently removing reference specimens that shall require long-term chain of 

243 documentation and maintenance of:

244

245 4.4.1 any data associated with permanently removed specimens (see 4.3.2 above);

246 4.4.2 information regarding the reason for permanently removing a specimen;

247 4.4.3 information regarding the disposition of permanently removed specimens (e.g., consumed in 

248 analysis, disposed, transferred to another facility);

249 4.4.4 information regarding compliance with any permit requirements governing permanent 

250 removal of the specimen.

251 NOTE: In keeping with 4.1, which ensures that specimens included in reference collections have 

252 been appropriately obtained, 4.4.4 ensures that specimens are appropriately removed in line with 

253 any applicable laws and regulations governing possession of specific specimens.

254 Annex A (informative)

255 This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list as voluminous other publications on this subject exist. At the 

256 time this standard was drafted, these were examples of foundational literature available for reference. 

257 In addition to the references below, there are several professional organizations and peer-reviewed 

258 journals that publish on the curation of biological collections and their associated documentation. Such 

259 professional organizations include, but are not limited to, The Society for the Preservation of Natural 

260 History Collections, the Natural Sciences Collections Association, and the International Society for 

261 Biological and Environmental Repositories.

262 Peer-reviewed journals on this subject include, but are not limited to, Collections: A Journal for Museum 

263 and Archives Professionals, Collection Forum, Collection Management, Curator: The Museum Journal, 

264 and the Journal of Natural Science Collections.

265 See also additional publications and resources available through the NIST Biorepository: 

266 https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/nist-biorepository

267

268 Bibliography

269 1] American Society of Mammalogists Systematic Collections Committee. Basic curatorial 

270 standards for systematic collections of mammals. Journal of Mammalogy 85:180–181, 2004.

271

272 2] ANSI/ASB Standard 019 – Wildlife Forensics General Standards, First Edition, 2019

273 3] ANSI/ASB Standard 028 – Wildlife Forensics Morphology Standards, First Edition, 2019
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274 4] ANSI/ASB Standard 029 – Report Writing in Wildlife Forensics: Morphology and Genetics, 

275 First Edition, 2019

5] Buck, Rebecca A. and Jean Allman Gilmore, Eds. Museum Registration Methods 5th 276 Edition. 

277 The AAM Press, Washington D.C., 2010.

278

279 6] Burke, Russell L., et al. Non-standard sources in a standardized world: Responsible practice 

280 and ethics of acquiring turtle specimens for scientific use. In, Defining Turtle Diversity: 

281 Proceedings of a Workshop on Genetics, Ethics and Taxonomy of Freshwater Turtles and 

282 Tortoises, ed. H. Bradley Shaffer, et al., pp. 142-146. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 4, 

283 Chelonian Research Foundation, 2007.

284

285 7] Campbell, Lori D., editor-in-Chief. Best Practices for Repositories: Collection, Storage, 

Retrieval and Distribution of Biological Materials for Research, 3rd 286 edition. International 

287 Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, 2011.

288

289 8] Cato, Paisley S. Guidelines for Managing Bird Collections. Texas Tech University Press, 

290 1986.

291

292 9] Dessauer, Herbert C. and Mark S. Hafner, Eds. Collections of Frozen Tissues: Value, 

293 Management, Field and Laboratory Procedures, and Directory of Existing Collections. 

294 Association of Systematics Collections, Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 

295 1984.

296

297 10] Gamble, Tony. Collecting and Preserving Genetic Material for Herpetological Research. 

298 Herpetological Circular No. 41. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 2014.

299

300 11] Genoways, Hugh H., Clyde Jones, and Olga L. Rossomilo. Mammal Collection Management. 

301 Texas Tech University Press, Lubbock, Texas, 1987.

302

303 12] Hall, E. Raymond. Collecting and Preparing Study Specimens of Vertebrates. Miscellaneous 

304 Publication No. 30. Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1962.

305

306 13] Harrison, Ian J., Prosanta Chakrabarty, Jörg Freyhof, and John F. Craig. Correct 

307 nomenclature and recommendations for preserving and cataloguing voucher material and 

308 genetic sequences. Journal of Fish Biology 78(5):1283-1290, 2011.

309

310 14] Hawks, Catharine, et al. (editors). Health & Safety for Museum Professionals. Society for the 

311 Preservation of Natural History Collections, New York, 2010.

312

313 15] Keller, Jennifer M., Rebecca S. Plugh, and Paul R. Becker. Biological and environmental 

314 monitoring and archival of sea turtle tissues (BEMAST): Rationale, protocols, and initial 

315 collections of banked sea turtle tissues. NISTIR 7996, National Institute of Standards and 

316 Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.7996

317

318 16] Lehn, Cathi, Indraneil Das, Michael R.J. Forstner, and Rafe M. Brown. Responsible 

319 vouchering in turtle research: an introduction and recommendations. In, Defining Turtle 

320 Diversity: Proceedings of a Workshop on Genetics, Ethics and Taxonomy of Freshwater 

321 Turtles and Tortoises, ed. H. Bradley Shaffer, et al., pp. 147-156. Chelonian Research 

322 Monographs No. 4, Chelonian Research Foundation, 2007.

323
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324 17] Malaro, Marie C. and Ildiko Pogány DeAngelis. A Legal Primer on Managing Museum 

Collections, 3rd 325 Edition. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 2012.

326

327 18] Matassa, Freda. Museum Collections Management: A Handbook. Facet Publishing, London, 

328 2011.

329

330 19] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Biological Collections: 

331 Ensuring Critical Research and Education for the 21st Century. The National Academies 

332 Press, Washington, D.C., 2020. https://doi.org/10.17226/25592

333

334 20] National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Science, Interagency Working 

335 Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC). Scientific Collections: Mission-Critical 

336 Infrastructure for Federal Science Agencies. Office of Science and Technology Policy, 

337 Washington, D.C., 2009.

338

339 21] Phillips, Caleb D., Jonathan L. Dunnum, Robert C. Dowler, Lisa C. Bradley, Heath J. Garner, 

340 Kathryn A. MacDonald, Burton K. Lim, Marcia A. Revelez, Mariel L. Campbell, Holly L. 

341 Lutz, Nicté O. Garza, Joseph A. Cook, Robert D. Bradley, and the Systematic Collections 

342 Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists. Curatorial guidelines and standards of 

343 the American Society of Mammalogists for collections of genetic resources. Journal of

344 Mammalogy 100:1690–1694, 2019.

345

346 22] Prendini, Lorenzo, Robert Hanner and Rob DeSalle. Obtaining, storing and archiving 

347 specimens and tissue samples for use in molecular studies. In, Methods and Tools in 

348 Biosciences and Medicine: Techniques in Molecular Systematics and Evolution, ed. By Rob 

349 DeSalle et al., Verlag, Switzerland, 2002.

350

351 23] Rose, C.L., C.A. Hawks, and H.H. Genoways (eds). Storage of Natural History Collections: 

352 A Preventive Conservation Approach. Society for the Preservation of Natural History 

353 Collections, New York, 1995.

354

355 24] Sabaj M.H. Codes for natural history collections in ichthyology and herpetology. Copeia 

356 108(3):593-669, 2020.

357

358 25] Salick, Jan, Katie Konchar, and Mark Nesbitt. Curating Biocultural Collections: A 

359 Handbook. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, 2014.

360

361 26] Simmons, John E. Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference. Roman & Littlefield, 

362 Lanham, Maryland, 2014.

363

27] Simmons, John E. Herpetological Collecting and Collections Management, 3rd 364 Edition. 

365 Herpetological Circular No. 42. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 2015.

366

28] Simmons, John E. Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies, 2nd 367 edition.

368 American Alliance of Museums, 2018.