MSC 172 – Marine Biology
Practical Exam Information
Over most of the life of the Marine Technology program a large specimen collection has accumulated.
Its purpose is to allow students to become comfortable in quickly and accurately identifying many different
organisms that they may see in local waters, and beyond. During our cruises many specimens are updated
and some new ones added. Because you have access to both living and preserved organisms, upon graduation
you will have gained more experience than a university-level ichthyology student.
You will receive two collection lists during the semester - one at the beginning of the semester, and
one after the midterm. The first list will be the Midterm Specimens and the last the Final Specimens. All of
the specimens from both lists will be in your Notebook at the end of the semester. To test your identification
skills, two practical exams are scheduled – a midterm exam and a final exam. During each practical exam, 25
specimens will be randomly selected from your collection list and placed in trays throughout the lab. You will
have a minute and a half to identify each specimen and five minutes at the end of the exam to re-visit any
difficulties. Possible practical exam questions include:
Taxonomic Phylum of the specimen
Taxonomic Class of the specimen (Only for Invertebrates)
Taxonomic Family of the specimen (Only for Fishes)
Scientific Name of the specimen
(Remember the Rules!!)
Common Name of the specimen
Sex of the specimen
(Only if it can be discerned and we discussed it in class)
When answering these questions it is important that you use the taxonomic classification scheme
discussed in class (lectures) and the scientific names in your ID guides and other field guides available in the
classroom. Taxonomic classifications and scientific names from the Internet and other sources will not be
accepted. It is expected that students take the necessary time and wherewithal to work on locating the
taxonomic information. Very few ID labs are scheduled for each exam; therefore most of the work will be
done outside of class time. Start early! In addition, a gray cart with the preserved specimens will be placed at
the front of the classroom for each list. Take the time to study these specimens before the exam – they look
VERY different from live specimens! Do NOT open the jars or turn them upside-down. If one is leaking, please
inform an Instructor. For those specimens not in the collection, pictures will be used on the exams.
You are permitted to bring your Notebook, a spreadsheet and/or lab data sheets into the exam with
you. Published field guides are prohibited. Below is an example of an Excel spreadsheet:
Common Name
Atlantic Menhaden
Atlantic Ribbed Mussel
Bay Scallop
Ivory Bush Coral
Scientific Name
Brevoortia tyrannus
Geukensia demissa
Argopecten irradians
Oculina varicosa
Taxonomic
Phylum
Chordata
Mollusca
Mollusca
Cnidaria
Taxonomic
Class
Taxonomic
Family
Osteichthyes
Bivalvia
Bivalvia
Anthozoa
Clupeidae
Mytilidae
Pectinidae
Oculinidae