Reference Slide Library
Definition
A curated collection of prepared microscopy slides (hair scale casts, feather cross-sections, bone histology sections) from verified species, maintained for comparison against unknown case exhibits.
- Content
- Prepared slides: hair scale casts, feather sections, bone histology
- Source
- Verified species specimens
- Use
- Comparison microscopy against unknown case exhibits
Common questions
Why is a reference slide library kept as physical slides rather than only photographs or digital scans?+
Microscopy comparison often benefits from adjusting focal depth and lighting live under the scope, which a fixed photograph cannot reproduce, so many laboratories keep the physical slides as the primary reference and use digital images only as a searchable index.
What happens when an unknown sample does not match anything in the reference slide library?+
The examiner can only report the closest morphological group or leave the identification inconclusive at species level, which is one reason reference slide libraries are continually expanded as new verified specimens become available.
Related terms
- Barcode of Life Database (BOLD)
- An online reference library of DNA barcode sequences (primarily COI gene) linked to voucher specimens in natural history collections. Used to identify...
- Database Gap
- The absence of morphological reference data or molecular barcode sequences for the taxa encountered in trade, particularly tropical invertebrates, many freshwater fish,...
- USFWS National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory
- The US federal wildlife forensics laboratory in Ashland, Oregon. Holds over 40,000 reference specimens and provides identification services for US enforcement cases...
- Voucher Specimen
- A preserved specimen formally deposited in a collection or retained in the case file as a permanent reference. In forensic entomology, the...
- Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
- India's primary national natural history collection and taxonomic research institution, providing comparative specimens and taxonomic expertise for wildlife forensic identification in South...