North Carolina State University Insect Museum
File:NCSUinsectDrawer.png
Drawer of insects from the NCSU Insect Museum.
|
|
Established | 1952 |
---|---|
Location | North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina |
Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Type | Natural History Museum |
Collection size | 1.5 million specimens |
Website | insectmuseum.org |
The NCSU Insect Museum is the center for research and training in insect systematics and biodiversity informatics at North Carolina State University. The Museum's collections hold more than 1.5 million specimens,[1] with major emphases on the insects of North Carolina and on the Auchenorrhyncha and Aphididae (Hemiptera) of the world. A smaller but historically important part of the collection (especially for bees of the eastern USA) is dedicated to Hymenoptera.[2]
History
Deitz (1983a[3] and 1983b[4]) provides the most comprehensive reviews of the history of the NCSU Insect Museum. Insect reference collections started growing soon after the foundation of NC State University in 1889, with each individual collection being cared for by one curator. These multiple independent collections across campus were then collated into a single resource in 1952, then referred to as the Entomology Museum. This effort was organized by Zeno P. Metcalf, an Auchenorrhyncha systematist who served as the Insect Museum's first director.
This museum has since been referred to as the NCSU Insect Museum, and it continues to serve as a resource for entomologists who need to identify specimens, for researchers attempting to understand more about species distributions through time, for students learning insect taxonomy, and as a repository for vouchers that reference entomological research.
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External resources
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages using infobox museum with unsupported parameters
- North Carolina State University
- Museums in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Natural history museums in North Carolina
- Research museums in the United States
- University museums in North Carolina
- Entomological organisations
- 1952 establishments in North Carolina