Small invertebrate phyla

Sliced and dyed sections of Peripatus moseleyi, a velvet worm, prepared on slides.

Our collections cover all of the living invertebrate phyla, including Onychophora (velvet worms), Chaetognatha (arrow worms), Gastrotricha (hairybacks), Kinorhyncha (mud dragons), Nemertea (ribbon worms), Phoronida (horseshoe worms), Priapulida (penis worms), Rotifera (wheel animals) and Tardigrada (water bears).

Specimen breakdown by phylum

  • Onychophora (velvet worms): 1,500 (wet and slides)
  • Chaetognatha (arrow worms): 750,000 (wet), 225 (slides)
  • Gastrotricha (hairybacks): 80 (wet and slides)
  • Kinorhyncha (mud dragons): 13 (slides)
  • Nemertea (ribbon worms): 360 (wet), 500 (slides) 
  • Phoronida (horseshoe worms): 1,700 (wet), 184 (slides)
  • Priapulida (penis worms): 50 (wet), 100 (slides)
  • Rotifera (wheel animals): 260 (wet), 5,250 (slides)
  • Tardigrada (water bears): 287 (wet and slides)

Looking for a specimen?

This collection is being digitised

Senior curator (Nemertea, Phoronida, Priapulida)

Emma Sherlock

If you would like to use any specimens for research, please get in touch

Senior curator (Onychophora, Tardigrada)

Jan Beccaloni

If you would like to use any specimens for research, please get in touch

Principle curator (Gastrotricha, Kinorhyncha, Rotifera)

Miranda Lowe

If you would like to use any specimens for research, please get in touch

Principal Curator in Charge, Invertebrates (non-insects)

Dr Lauren Hughes

If you would like to use any specimens for research, please get in touch

Specimens

755,000

Collections on the move

Access to some collections will be affected as we prepare for the move to our new collections, science and digitisation centre.

Accessing the collections

Scientists and collections management specialists can visit the collections and borrow specimens for research.

Collections management

Our duty is to provide a safe and secure environment for all of our collections.

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