EntomologyWith over 35 million specimens housed in
more
than
132,354 drawers,
33,000 jars or vials,
and
23,000
slides
in more than 5,200 cabinets, the
National Insect Collection is one of the largest
entomological collections
in the world.
Specimens and their associated data are used
as the basis for original scientific research on
the nature, interrelationships, origin, and
evolution
of insects and their allies. The
large holdings of medically and agriculturally
important species make parts of the collection
especially significant as sources of systematic
research and identification of insect pests.
The National Insect Collection is maintained by
research scientists
and museum specialists from
the Smithsonian as well as those working
for
the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the Walter Reed
Biosystematics Unit of the Department of Defense
and
the Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology
at Georgia Southern University where the U. S. National
Tick Collection is currently housed.
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