Insect Collection
The Utah State University Insect Collection has been an important research tool since the 1960s. Originally begun with one small cabinet, the collection now has over 117 cabinets housing approximately two million pinned insects and 35,000 microscope slides.
The collection is also home to an extensive library of historically significant entomological texts and reprints.
Our main areas of concentration include the Intermountain West and Neotropical countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Argentina, and Chile. The primary focus of our collecting efforts are the rapidly disappearing tropical rainforests of South America.
The main research interests of the various faculty members that regularly work in the collection includes spider wasps (Pompilidae), velvet ants (Mutillidae), flies (Stratiomyidae), and aphids.
The collection is made available to researchers internationally through loans. We are also happy to host visiting taxonomists from other institutions. Please, make an appropriate appointment. The collection is closely associated with the U.S.D.A. Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, with whom we regularly share resources.
Telephone: 435-797-0358
Mailing Address and for Returning Loans:
Department of Biology
5305 Old Main Hill
Utah State University,
Logan UT 84322-5305
History
The Insect Collection, located in the Department of Biology at Utah State University, is recognized as one of the important collections in the western United States and serves as the major information source for the research of insect species of the U.S. Intermountain region. However, every region of the world is represented, especially the Neotropical region.
The collection consists of over 2,000,000 specimens, the bulk of them pinned and stored in about 2000 drawers. The bulk of the matrial is of Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The collection of immatures and various small orders is stored in about 10,000 vials. The G.F. Knowlton collection of aphids and the collections of fleas, lice, thrips and a few other groups are mounted on about 35,000 microscope slides. The bees are housed with the U.S.D.A. Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, where an additional 33 cabinets and 800 drawers are located.
The collection's inception was shortly before 1900, when it was set up primarily as a collection of crop pests. Many of these specimens are still in storage and in excellent condition. Its early development was carried out by E.D. Ball and E.G. Titus, but its real growth began after 1925, when G.F. Knowlton joined the staff. He intensively collected insects throughout Utah and surrounding areas since then, until his death in early 1987. Others who have been most responsible for its growth are W.W. Henderson, especially in his studies of grasshoppers, and G.E. Bohart. In 1963, W.J. Hanson was appointed curator, and a separate room in a new building (Biology and Natural Resources) was provided to house the collection, which has allowed for accelerated growth. Neotropical specimens representing all orders, but especially Diptera, make the collection unique in the west, thanks in large part to Dr. Wilford J. Hanson
USU Holdings
By selecting an insect order from the following list, you will be taken to the appropriate page of Families within that order.
If the holdings for a particular family are large, it may be necessary to select a Genus from within the particular family.
| Order | Common Name |
|---|---|
| Blattaria | (Cockroaches) |
| Coleoptera | (Beetles) |
| Dermaptera | (Earwigs) |
| Diptera | (true Flies) |
| Embioptera | (webspinners) |
| Ephemeroptera | (Mayflies) |
| Hemiptera | (true Bugs) |
| Homoptera | (Cicadas, aphids, scales, hoppers, etc.) |
| Hymenoptera | (Ants, Wasps, Bees, etc.) |
| Isoptera | (Termites) |
| Lepidoptera | (Butterflies & Moths) |
| Mantodea | (Praying Mantids) |
| Mecoptera | (Scorpionflies) |
| Megaloptera | (Dobsonflies, Fishflies, Alderflies) |
| Neuroptera | (Snakeflies, Lacewings, etc.) |
| Odonata | (Dragonflies and Damselflies) |
| Orthoptera | (Grasshoppers, Katydids & Crickets) |
| Phasmida | (Walkingsticks & Leaf insects) |
| Plecoptera | (Stoneflies) |
| Psocoptera | (Psocids) |
| Pthiraptera | (Lice) |
| Siphonaptera | (Fleas) |
| Strepsiptera | (Twisted-wing Parasites) |
| Thysanoptera | (Thrips) |
| Trichoptera | (Caddisflies) |