American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Name	American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Founded	1913
Type	Scientific society
Headquarters	United States
Region served	North America

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is a professional society dedicated to the study of fishes and amphibians and reptiles, serving researchers, curators, and conservationists. Founded in the early 20th century, the organization brings together specialists linked to institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Field Museum of Natural History, California Academy of Sciences, and University of California, Berkeley. Its membership historically includes contributors associated with University of Michigan, Harvard University, Cornell University, University of Florida, and University of Texas at Austin.

History

The society traces origins to meetings held by researchers associated with Brooklyn Botanical Garden, New York Zoological Society, and Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, culminating in a formal founding influenced by figures connected to United States National Museum and Carnegie Institution for Science. Early collaborations involved naturalists who had ties to Museum of Comparative Zoology, Royal Ontario Museum, University of Chicago, Ohio State University, and Stanford University. Throughout the 20th century, the society intersected with institutions such as Rockefeller Foundation, National Academy of Sciences, and National Science Foundation as its members pursued taxonomy, faunistics, and conservation, often publishing with colleagues at Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and University of Chicago Press. Notable historical interactions linked society members to expeditions organized by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, research stations like Bermuda Biological Station for Research, and museum networks such as American Association of Museums.

Mission and Activities

The society's mission emphasizes research and conservation of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, partnering with organizations including International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Wildlife Fund, NatureServe, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International. Activities range from field studies conducted in regions associated with Panama Canal Zone, Galápagos Islands, Amazon Basin, Congo Basin, and Great Barrier Reef to laboratory collaborations with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The society engages with regulatory and policy forums such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change through expertise contributed by members affiliated with Yale University, Duke University, Princeton University, and University of Washington.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises academics, museum curators, graduate students, and citizen scientists associated with American Fisheries Society, Herpetologists' League, Society for Conservation Biology, Ecological Society of America, and Society for the Study of Evolution. Governance is maintained by an elected council and officers drawn from faculty and staff at institutions such as University of California, Davis, Texas A&M University, University of Colorado Boulder, Michigan State University, and Purdue University. The society's bylaws and committee structures interact with ethics frameworks used by Committee on Publication Ethics, grant panels like those of the National Science Foundation, and accreditation practices of Association of American Universities members.

Publications and Journals

The society publishes a peer-reviewed journal and monograph series produced by editorial boards consisting of scholars from University of Notre Dame, Florida Museum of Natural History, Museum Victoria, Natural History Museum, London, and Royal Ontario Museum. Contributors often cite and collaborate with authors from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature, Science (journal), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, and Journal of Biogeography. Editorial standards reflect practices common at Springer Nature, Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, and Oxford University Press publications, and society editors have held positions connected to Linnean Society of London and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual meetings attract presenters from universities and institutions including University of British Columbia, McGill University, University of California, Santa Cruz, San Diego State University, and Arizona State University, and often include symposia co-organized with Society for Marine Mammalogy, International Congress of Ichthyology, and regional groups such as Latin American Society of Ichthyologists. Past venues have included facilities affiliated with Royal Ontario Museum, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, Field Museum, and universities like University of Miami and University of Texas at Austin. Meetings feature workshops modeled on training programs from Smithsonian Institution, grant-writing sessions informed by National Science Foundation panels, and outreach collaborations with Public Broadcasting Service and National Geographic Society.

Awards and Grants

The society awards prizes and grants recognizing excellence in taxonomy, systematics, conservation, and education, analogous to honors administered by Linnean Society of London, Royal Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and National Academy of Sciences. Funding recipients often hold appointments at Yale University, Columbia University, Brown University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Grant programs support fieldwork in locations such as Madagascar, Borneo, Seychelles, Hawaii, and Andes Mountains, and awardees have later received fellowships from Guggenheim Foundation, Fulbright Program, and grants from National Geographic Society.

Category:Scientific societies