Hannco P.A.J. Bakker

In the Crustacean collections

I am Collection Manager of the Invertebrate collections, more specifically the fluid collections. I have strong interests in taxonomy, systematics, evolution and marine invertebrates. I obtained my MSc in Biology at the University of Leiden (2015). Since 2012, I have been very interested in marine invertebrates, especially molluscs. Since then I do research on Triphorids, a group of left-coiled marine snails (Mollusca: Triphoridae). Nonetheless, my interest in marine organisms is large as well unravelling mysterious in our enormous collections. My work at the Naturalis collection started in 2016 and since February 2023 I work as Collection Manager.

Keywords

Taxonomy, phylogeny, evolution, systematics, marine invertebrates, Mollusca, ARISE, collections, biodiversity, marine biodiversity, Dutch Flora & Fauna. 

Hannco P.A.J. Bakker, MSc.

Collection Manager
CnidariaCrustacea, Echinodermata, Mollusca, Porifera, Vermes and other invertebrate groups.

ResearchGate
LinkedIn
hannco.bakker@naturalis.nl

Collections

White shell

Mollusca

The collection of recent Mollusca (mollusks) comprises about 1 million samples, of which about 75% have been recorded. For the most part, the collection consists of dry material. There is also alcohol material and microscopic preparations. Coverage of the…
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Jars full of soft coral on formaldehyde

Cnidaria

The group Cnidaria ("nettles") includes jellyfish, anemones, hydroids and coral, but coral is the most represented part of the collection at Naturalis. It primarily includes many Indo-Pacific species by expeditions of the nineteenth and early twentieth…
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Giant woodlouse in a pot of strong water(?)

Crustacea

The crustacea (lobster-like) include not only crabs and lobsters, but also barnacles and woodlice. Naturalis has about 140,000 of them, which is one of the largest collections in this field in the world. Because of the long history of collecting and…
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Dried sea urchin

Echinodermata

Naturalis' echinoderm collection contains about 30,000 specimens and is still growing. Echinoderms are sometimes better known as sea stars, sea urchins, sea lilies and sea cucumbers. The collection is arranged taxonomically by main groups, within which it…
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Research
interest

Since Linnaeus we have attempted to unreval the beauty of nature. Trying to describe everything we saw, observed and know. Our collections have hundreds years of history among them with many of these observations described or captured by historical specimens. We preserve, describe and maintain our collections for the sake of science. But we know little. There is yet still so much to discover. Our collections hold thousands, yet maybe tens of thousands, new species. Still waiting to be described. 

Collection Managers have the ultimate goal of preserving our natural history that has been maintained for hundreds of years for the next years to come. Each of us facilitate research, exhibitions, education and communications with information, support and more with our collections. We do not only have a collection of specimens, but also a collection of tales, knowledge, historical facts, a legacy that already lasted hundreds of years and is to continued. 

Binoculair met kever
Lades vol vlinders in de Toren

Current
topics

A selection of the topics I am working on currently.

  • Keeping up with the backlog in fluid preservation together with our ethanol team. 
  • Finding innovative ways of digitizing specimens. 
  • Support scientific research on collections at al cost. 
  • Unrvalling our rich collections and history.
  • Identifying new storage opportunities in various ways (e.g. SEM-stub collections).

Key
publications

  • Albano, P.G., Steger, J., Bakker, P.A.J., Bogi, C, Bosnjak, M., Guy-Haim, T., Huseyinoglu, M.F., LaFollette, P.I., Lubinevsky, H., Mulas, M., Stockinger, M., Azzarone, M. && Sabelli, B. 2021. Numerous new records of tropical non-indigenous species in the Eastern Mediterranean highlight the challenges of their recognition and identification. ZooKeys 1010: 1-95.
  • Bos, O.G., Bakker, P.A.J., Henkens, R.J.H.G., Freitas, J.A. de & Debrot, A.O. 2018. Preliminary checklist of extant endemic species and subspecies of the windward Dutch Caribbean (St. Martin, St. Eustatius, Saba and the Saba Bank). Wageningen University & Research Rapport C067/18
  • Bos, O.G., Gittenberger, A., Boois, I.J. de, Asch, M. van, Wal, J.T. van der, Cremer, J., Hoorn, B. van der, Pieterse, S. & Bakker, P.A.J. 2016. Soortenlijst Nederlandse Noordzee. Wageningen University & Research Rapport C125/16A

All publications