Collections, by Taxonomic Group
Coleoptera (beetles)
- Canadian National Collection of Insects - 17 million specimens, mostly North American fauna. Ottawa, Canada.
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History - 6.9 million specimens
- E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum - 1 million specimens. Carabidae of the Nearctic are emphasized. University of Alberta. Includes Kenneth Bowman Collection of Lepidoptera.
- Essig Museum of Entomology - 4.5 million specimens, emphasizing western North America.
- Illinois Natural History Survey - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
- Lincoln University Entomology Research Museum - 150,000 specimens. New Zealand sub-region with emphasis on the South Island fauna
- Louisiana State Arthropod Museum - 400,000 specimens. Fauna of the southcentral United States and Circum-Caribbean region
- Lyman Entomological Museum and Research Laboratory - 2.8 million specimens; second largest insect collection in Canada. Major groups include Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera. McGill University
- Macleay Museum Invertebrate Collection - 500,000 specimens. University of Sydney, Australia
- Museo Mariposas del Mundo - entomological museum with 70,000 specimens. Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and diverse arthropods of the world
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Insects of the southwestern United States, aculeate hymenoptera, lepidoptera, diptera, coleoptera, odonata
- North Carolina State University Insect Collection - 1.1 million specimens. Emphasis on North Carolina insects and worldwide Homoptera
- Peabody Museum of Natural History - 900,000 pinned specimens. Yale
- Severin-McDaniel Insect Research Collection - South Dakota, U.S.A.
- Snow Entomological Research Collection - 4.1 million specimens. University of Kansas Natural History Museum
- The University of Wyoming Insect Museum - 250,000 specimens. Holdings are particularly strong in the major orders Hymenoptera (53%), Diptera (12%),Lepidoptera (10%), and Coleoptera (9%). Insect Gallery, with beautiful insects from around the world on display open to public viewing free of charge
- Univeristy of Central Florida Collection of Arthropods - aka the Bug Closet. 135,000 specimens. 33% Coleoptera, 45% Hymenoptera.
- University of Colorado Museum - 550,000 specimens. Many from Rocky Mountain region
- University of Connecticut Biological Collections: Insects - fauna of southern New England
- University of Michigan Musem of Zoology, Insect Division - one of the largest university insect collections in North America with 4.5 million specimens. Especially Odonata, Orthoptera, Acari, Coleoptera, and Homoptera
- University of Minnesota Insect Collection - 3.3 million specimens
- University of Nebraska State Museum - 2 million specimens from U.S. Great Plains and worldwide
- University of Queensland Insect Collection - 700,000 specimens. Australia
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Wilbur R. Enns Entomology Museum - at the University of Missouri-Columbia. 5.75 million specimens. Many aquatic insects of Ozark streams
Collembola (springtails)
Dermaptera (earwigs)
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
Diptera (flies)
- Canadian National Collection of Insects - - 17 million specimens, mostly North American fauna. Ottawa, Canada.
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History - - 6.9 million specimens
- Cornell University Insect Collection - historical overview of the collection, list of holdings of the main collection and information on the holdings in various orders, student faculty and staff associated with the collection, a searchable database of all types
- Diptera types in the Canadian National Collection of Insects - Nematocera, Brachycera, Schizophora, Tachinidae
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
- Lyman Entomological Museum and Research Laboratory - - 2.8 million specimens; second largest insect collection in Canada. Major groups include Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera. McGill University
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - - Insects of the southwestern United States, aculeate hymenoptera, lepidoptera, diptera, coleoptera, odonata
- North Carolina State University Insect Collection - - - 1.1 million specimens. Emphasis on North Carolina insects and worldwide Homoptera
- Snow Entomological Research Collection - - 4.1 million specimens. University of Kansas Natural History Museum
- The University of Wyoming Insect Museum - - 250,000 specimens. Holdings are particularly strong in the major orders Hymenoptera (53%), Diptera (12%),Lepidoptera (10%), and Coleoptera (9%). Insect Gallery, with beautiful insects from around the world on display open to public viewing free of charge
- University of Queensland Insect Collection - - 700,000 specimens. Australia
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ephemeroptera (mayflies)
- Cornell University Insect Collection - - historical overview of the collection, list of holdings of the main collection and information on the holdings in various orders, student faculty and staff associated with the collection, a searchable database of all types
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
Hemiptera (true bugs)
Homoptera (aphids, scale insects, leafhoppers, cicadas)
Hymenoptera (wasps, ants, bees)
- Canadian National Collection of Insects - - - - 17 million specimens, mostly North American fauna. Ottawa, Canada.
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
- Japanese Ants Image Database - taxonomy of Japanese ants
- Lyman Entomological Museum and Research Laboratory - - - - 2.8 million specimens; second largest insect collection in Canada. Major groups include Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera. McGill University
- Macleay Museum Invertebrate Collection - - 500,000 specimens. University of Sydney, Australia
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - - - Insects of the southwestern United States, aculeate hymenoptera, lepidoptera, diptera, coleoptera, odonata
- North Carolina State University Insect Collection - - - - - - 1.1 million specimens. Emphasis on North Carolina insects and worldwide Homoptera
- Queensland Museum - 500,000 specimens. Special collections of rainforest insects and parasitic wasps. Australia
- Snow Entomological Research Collection - - - - - 4.1 million specimens. University of Kansas Natural History Museum
- The University of Wyoming Insect Museum - - - 250,000 specimens. Holdings are particularly strong in the major orders Hymenoptera (53%), Diptera (12%),Lepidoptera (10%), and Coleoptera (9%). Insect Gallery, with beautiful insects from around the world on display open to public viewing free of charge
- Univeristy of Central Florida Collection of Arthropods - - aka the Bug Closet. 135,000 specimens. 33% Coleoptera, 45% Hymenoptera.
- University of Colorado Museum - - 550,000 specimens. Many from Rocky Mountain region
- University of Nebraska State Museum - - 2 million specimens from U.S. Great Plains and worldwide
- University of Queensland Insect Collection - - - 700,000 specimens. Australia
Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths)
- Allyn Museum of Entomology - over 1 million specimens, largely Lepidoptera. Florida
- Canadian National Collection of Insects - - - - - 17 million specimens, mostly North American fauna. Ottawa, Canada.
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History - - - 6.9 million specimens
- E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum - - 1 million specimens. Carabidae of the Nearctic are emphasized. University of Alberta. Includes Kenneth Bowman Collection of Lepidoptera.
- Essig Museum of Entomology - - - 4.5 million specimens, emphasizing western North America.
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
- Images of the Furman University Collection of North American Lepidoptera
- Lincoln University Entomology Research Museum - - 150,000 specimens. New Zealand sub-region with emphasis on the South Island fauna
- Louisiana State Arthropod Museum - - - 400,000 specimens. Fauna of the southcentral United States and Circum-Caribbean region
- Lyman Entomological Museum and Research Laboratory - - - - - 2.8 million specimens; second largest insect collection in Canada. Major groups include Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera. McGill University
- Macleay Museum Invertebrate Collection - - - 500,000 specimens. University of Sydney, Australia
- Museo Mariposas del Mundo - - entomological museum with 70,000 specimens. Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and diverse arthropods of the world
- North Carolina State University Insect Collection - - - - - - - 1.1 million specimens. Emphasis on North Carolina insects and worldwide Homoptera
- Peabody Museum of Natural History - - 900,000 pinned specimens. Yale
- Richard B. Dominick Moth and Butterfly Collection - University of South Carolina
- Senckenberg Natural History Museum - International research institute and museum. Germany
- The University of Wyoming Insect Museum - - - - 250,000 specimens. Holdings are particularly strong in the major orders Hymenoptera (53%), Diptera (12%),Lepidoptera (10%), and Coleoptera (9%). Insect Gallery, with beautiful insects from around the world on display open to public viewing free of charge
- University of Colorado Museum - - - 550,000 specimens. Many from Rocky Mountain region
- University of Connecticut Biological Collections: Insects - - - fauna of southern New England
- University of Michigan Musem of Zoology, Insect Division - - - one of the largest university insect collections in North America with 4.5 million specimens. Especially Odonata, Orthoptera, Acari, Coleoptera, and Homoptera
- University of Minnesota Insect Collection - - - - 3.3 million specimens
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Wilbur R. Enns Entomology Museum - - - at the University of Missouri-Columbia. 5.75 million specimens. Many aquatic insects of Ozark streams
Mecoptera (scorpionflies and hangingflies)
Neuroptera (lacewings, ant lions, dobsonflies)
Odonata (dragonflies, damselflies)
- Cornell University Insect Collection - - - historical overview of the collection, list of holdings of the main collection and information on the holdings in various orders, student faculty and staff associated with the collection, a searchable database of all types
- Frost Entomological Museum - - 700,000 specimens. Pennsylvania State
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - - - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - - - - Insects of the southwestern United States, aculeate hymenoptera, lepidoptera, diptera, coleoptera, odonata
- University of Michigan Musem of Zoology, Insect Division - - - - one of the largest university insect collections in North America with 4.5 million specimens. Especially Odonata, Orthoptera, Acari, Coleoptera, and Homoptera
Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets)
Phthiraptera (lice)
Plecoptera (stoneflies)
- Cornell University Insect Collection - - - - historical overview of the collection, list of holdings of the main collection and information on the holdings in various orders, student faculty and staff associated with the collection, a searchable database of all types
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - - - - - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
Siphonaptera (fleas)
Thysanoptera (thrips)
Trichoptera (caddisflies)
- Illinois Natural History Survey - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 million specimens. Several insect databases, including a searchable, specimen level Plecoptera database . Dates back to 1858
General
- Academy of Natural Sciences - Entomology Department. 3 million specimens. Research in collection based, systematic entomology
- Agriculture Western Australia Insect Reference Collection Database - 250,000 specimens
- Australian National Insect Collection
- Clemson University - includes a virtual tour of the Clemson University arthropod museum. Photos of 19 display cases are the starting point. Click on individual specimens to view close-up image with name and short description
- Coleccion Entomologica, Universidad de Guadalajara - 15,000 specimens
- Deutsches Entomologisches Institut - founded in 1886, DEI is the only scientific institute in Germany which exclusively deals with the taxonomy, systematics, and biology of insects. The scientific staff cooperate with institutions and entomologists from all over the world. The DEI houses an important insect collection and a remarkable library. Two scientific journals and an annual report are issued. Müncheberg, Germany
- Entomological Expedition: Research and Collecting in the Dominican Republic - local biologist with knowledge and expertise of habitats and localities of the insects (mainly Lepidoptera and Coleoptera) offers services for entomological collecting expeditions.
- Florida State Collection of Arthropods - 7.5 million prepared specimens. Worldwide collection, especially rich in material from the southeastern United States and the circum-Caribbean area
- Goeldi Collection - 1 million specimens. Brazil
- Insect and Spider Collections of the World - clearinghouse for information on world insect and spider collections. Maintained by Neal Evenhuis and G. Alan Samuelson.
- International Soybean Arthropod Collection - 300,000 specimens
- Lund University Museum of Zoology - 10-20 million specimens. Predates 1735 when the first donation to the University was made by Kilian Stobaeus, the first teacher of Carl Linnaeus. Sweden
- Maurice T. James Entomological Collection - 1.25 million specimens. Fauna of the Pacific Northwest, especially Washington State
- Museo del Instituto de Zoologia Agricola - Illustrated type collection, a module dealing with agricultural pest of Venezuela and more. Universidad Central de Venezuela at Maracay. English version now available for most modules.
- Museum Victoria - 2.8 million specimens. Australia
- Museum Wiesbaden - Department of Natural Science Collections. 40,000 specimens. Insect collections of: Merian, Gerning, Pagenstecher, Kirschbaum dating back to 1647
- New South Wales Agricultural Scientific Collections - 560,000 specimens. Australia
- Ohio State University Insect Collection - 3.5 million specimens
- Oregon State Arthropod Collection - 2.5 million specimens, with global representation. Especially strong in Pacific northwestern taxa
- Primary Type Specimen Database - insect primary types in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. Data on more than 28,000 types, representing 29 orders, 565 families, and 7,578 genera of insects. It also includes high quality images of types. Virtually all types of Cerambycidae, Buprestidae, Nymphalidae, Lycaenidae, Pieridae, Tettigoniidae, and a large portion of Formicidae.
- Quito Catholic Zoology Museum - 800,000 specimens of Ecuadorian insects. Biology Department, Catholic University of Ecuador
- Siberian Zoological Museum of the Institute of Animal Systematics and Ecology - 2 million specimens of more than 15 thousand species mainly from the Palearctic. Largest scientific zoological museum in Siberia
- Slovene Museum of Natural History
- Swedish Museum of Natural History - Department of Entomology. 2.5 million specimens in collection
- Texas A&M - 1.9 million fully-curated specimens. Species-level holdings records
- University of Amsterdam. Zoological Museum Amsterdam. Dept of Entomology - The collection includes about 8 million labeled specimens, most of which are identified. The majority are pinned specimens stored in about 32,000 drawers. The slide collection, mainly Collembola and Acari, consists of about 85,000 slides. Alcohol material is preserved in about 8,000 jars.
- University of Arkansas Arthropod Museum - 750,000 specimens focusing especially on Ozark and Ouachita mountains
- University of Copenhagen - 3 million specimens, emphasizing Europe and worldwide
- University of Georgia Collection of Arthropods - 650,000 specimens. Image galleries of common insects from the southeastern U.S.
- University of Guelph Insect Collection - 607,000 specimens. Oldest insect collection in Canada. Best collection of southern Ontario insects. Houses an excellent collection of Diptera from around the world, with a particularly good collection of neotropical Brachycera.
- University of New Hampshire Insect and Arachnid Collections - 600,000 specimens from northern New England
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München - Munich, Germany
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