The PETER D. SCHULZ Osteoichthyology Collection

The UCD Zooarchaeology Lab currently houses 861 osteological specimens representing 290 different fish species.

The collection was initiated by Richard Casteel (PhD 1972) in the late 1960s and early 1970s and expanded considerably through the concerted efforts of Peter Schulz (PhD 1981) from the mid-1970s through his final donations to UCD in 2013. Contributions by fish biologists and paleontologists J. Dentler, P. Moyle, M. Roeder, T. Taylor, and C. Vanicek, among others helped expand the quantity and quality of this fish collection. Although the specimens primarily represent native and non-native California species, a large number of Asian species were collected to assist with studying historical Chinese zooarchaeological assemblages. Recently, we have expanded the number of Arctic fish species, but our efforts continue to focus on filling in our native California collection. Fish scales, most of which correspond to the osteological specimens in this collection, are housed with the Museum of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology in Storer Hall.