Smithsonian
Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Research
Training Program
Department
of Entomology
About
the Department of ENTOMOLOGY
- The
mission of the Department of Entomology is to
describe and understand the phylogenetic and biological
diversity of insects and other terrestrial arthropods
through global field and laboratory research;
to care for and improve the world's largest and
most comprehensive terrestrial arthropod collection;
and to disseminate these discoveries through scholarly
and popular publication, databases of systematic
and collection information, training at the graduate
and post-graduate level, lectures, teaching and
consulting, and through museum exhibition. The
Department hosts staff from three government agencies:
the Smithsonian Institution; the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Systematic Entomology Laboratory
(USDA-SEL); and the Walter Reed Army Institute
of Research, Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU).
This combine community represents, by far, the
greatest concentration of entomological expertise
in the world.
Research:
Research in the Department of Entomology is primarily
collection-based and focuses on systematics in the
broadest sense, including basic taxonomy, comparative
morphology, and life history of insects, as well
as evolutionary and population biology, phylogenetics,
biogeography, biodiversity, ecology, behavior, and
molecular genetic studies. Of particular current
interest are studies on the classes Insecta, Chilopoda,
Diplopoda, Arachnida, Symphyla, Pauropoda, and Arthropoda.
Entomology Collection
Profile
- Specimen Count: 32 million
- Types: 100,000
- New Acquisitions: 184,392
- Annual Specimens Loaned: 112,782 |
Collections:
The U.S. National Entomological Collection ranks
as the second largest insect collection in the world
with approximately 32 million specimens including
over 100,000 holotypes plus hundreds of thousands
of additional paratypes and other secondary types.
With specimens from worldwide locations, the collections
are second to none in coverage for the Nearctic
and Neotropical regions. Specimens from the Old
World are also well represented, especially from
Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
Although the bulk of the collection is kept dry,
various groups-such as spiders- are stored in alcohol.
The collections are typically arranged by taxon;
lower categories (genus, species) are arranged alphabetically,
and for select taxa, within each species they are
further organized by country of origin. For some
groups, collections are currently being housed off-site
as part of the Off-Site Enhancement Program.
Although
the U.S. National Museum (USNM) was established
in 1842, the first record of an insect collection
stored in the museum does not appear until 1858.
In the 1860's most of the Smithsonian's USNM insect
collection was sent to collaborating specialists
with the stipulation that the material could be
reclaimed at any time. In the early 1870's the USDA
was made the official repository for the Smithsonian
insect collection, which was added to the USDA collection,
but then in 1881 the combined insect collection
was formally transferred to the Smithsonian where
it resides today.
The
collections include a very large ectoparasite collection,
worldwide in coverage and with important medical
and veterinary entomology components; the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC) collections of Anoplura
and Siphonaptera; the Carriker collection of Mallophaga
(containing 650 type specimens of Neotropical species);
the K.C. Emerson collection of Mallophaga; the Jellison
collection of ectoparasites; and projects sampling
mammals in Panama, Venezuela, and Africa have produced
large additions to the ectoparasite collections.
The collections are supplemented by the Entomological
Illustration Archive, totaling over 5,000 illustrations
created to support the research publications of
Department entomologists.
Arachnid
Collections
- mites, ticks, spiders
Among the arachnid collections, the largest and
most significant is the Acari (mite) Collection,
currently housed at the USDA facility in Beltsville,
Maryland. It is the finest in existence for mites
parasitizing humans, animals, and plants. The collection
includes over 332,000 slides and 1,925 primary types.
Some of the most important type components include:
the complete collection of H.E. Ewing; nearly complete
collection of E.W. Baker and A.P. Jacot; important
specimens of N. Banks; and type specimens representing
all of the new species described by A. Fain from
the Congo. The myriapod holdings rate second only
to the Acarina, with special strength in New World
specimens. The collection contains nearly all of
the types of C.H. Bollman, R.V. Chamberlin, O.F.
Cook, R.E. Crabill, R.L. Hoffman, H.F. Loomis, and
J. McNeill. The Tick Collection was acquired by
F.C. Bishopp and later combined with the collection
of the Rocky Mountain Laboratory of the National
Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT. The Chigger
Collection (Trombiculidae) is housed at University
of Hawaii at Manoa and the Phytoseiidae Collection
is at Florida Department of Agriculture in Gainesville,
Florida. The Spider Collection counts over 200,000
specimens, mostly from the New World, and has over
300 types. Notable collectors include: N. Banks,
R.V. Chamberlin, H. Exline, I. Fox, E.V. Keyserling,
G. Marx, A. Petrunkevitch, and E. Simon.
Coleoptera
Collections
- beetles, weevils
The Coleoptera Collection, numbering about 12 million
specimens including 20,000 types, includes adult
and immature beetles and is the largest beetle collection
in the New World. The Coleoptera holdings include
the T.L. Casey Collection, comprised of nearly 117,000
specimens representing over 20,000 species, including
9,200 types. Other important material comes from
the collections of G.H. Dieke and R. Korschefsky
(Coccinellidae); F. Monros (Chrysomelidae); J.D.
Sherman (aquatic Coleoptera); F.F. Tippman (Cerambycidae);
O.L. Cartwright (Scarabaeidae and Cicindelinae);
and P. Spangler (aquatic Coleoptera). The collection
of beetle larvae and pupae, acquired through the
efforts of A.G. Boving, is worldwide in representation
and one of the largest in existence. Most Scarabaeidae
are housed at the University of Nebraska, State
Museum.
Diptera
Collections
- flies, mosquitoes
The collections of Diptera rank among the most extensive
in the world, with more than 8,059 drawers of pinned
material, 8,538 boxes of slide-mounted specimens,
325 vial-units of specimens in alcohol and including
about 20,500 primary types. Several large acquisitions,
such as the collections of Charles P. Alexander
(1,600,000 crane flies), S.W. Bromley (35,000),
A.L. Melander (250,000), John N. Belkin (92,000),
and A.E. Pritchard (27,000), have greatly expanded
coverage. Among the families particularly well represented
are the Asilidae, Tachinidae, Cecidomyiidae, Culicidae,
Ephydroidea, and Tipulidae. The Department serves
as the world center for mosquito research, hosting
the Mosquitoes of Southeast Asia study and the Medical
Entomology Project who have described over 100 new
species of mosquitoes. The Mosquito Collection count
more than 300,000 specimens including 1,200 primary
types
Hemiptera
Collections
- true bugs, cicadas, aphids, whiteflies
The Hemiptera Collection (Heteroptera plus Homoptera)
is the largest in the world. Although New World
holdings predominate, the Old World holdings are
rapidly expanding. The collection incorporates many
important private collections including: A.C. Baker,
H.G. Barber, C.K. Brian, T.D.A. Cockerell, C.J.
Drake (including the H. Hacker, M.S. Pennington,
C.E. Reed collections), A. Fitch, W.D. Funkhouser,
F.W. Goding, H.M. Harris, F.C. Hottes, H.H. Knight,
N.A. Kormilev, W.L. McAtee, T. Pergande, P.R. Uhler,
and, more recently, the J.T. Polhemus collection
of aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera, the J.
Maldonado collection of Reduviidae, and the W. Ullrich
collection. The Whitefly Collection (Aleyrodidae)
is one of the world's best collections, with over
32,000 microscope slide-mounts representing more
than 1,000 species, and an extensive collection
of dry preserved material. The collection includes
more than 300 primary types. The Aphidoidea Collection
is the largest collection of aphidoids in North
America, and one of the largest in the world. The
collection contains more than 85,000 slides representing
over 2,300 species. The subset Aphid Collection
includes type material for 628 species, 268 holotypes
and 28 lectotypes. The Coccoidea Collection (scale
insects) consists of 140,000 slides and has 280
primary types as well as a large collection of unmounted
dry material containing several million specimens.
Hymenoptera
Collections
- ants, bees, wasps
The Hymenoptera Collection consists of about 3 million
specimens including pinned specimens stored in more
than 7,000 drawers, approximately 10,000 vials of
larvae and adults in alcohol, and includes over
15,000 holotypes. The collection represents about
15 percent of the total entomological collections,
and is especially rich in Symphyta, aculeates, and
entomophagous parasites from worldwide locations.
Outstanding holdings include the W.H. Ashmead, C.F.
Baker, P.D. Hurd, Jr., K.V. Krombein, W.M. Mann,
M.R. Smith, and A.W. Stelfox collections.
Isoptera
& Plecoptera Collections
- termites, stone flies
The Termite (Isoptera) Collection has 240,000 specimens
- the second largest in the world - includes 1,150
of the known 2,000 species, and 943 types. The Plecoptera
Collection includes the Noel Hynes collection of
stoneflies.
Lepidoptera
Collections
- butterflies, moths
The Lepidoptera Collection has over 4 million specimens,
occupying over 27,000 drawers and 3,000 alcohol
jars including 25,000 primary types. The collection
has the most complete representation of both larvae
(123,000 specimens) and adults in the Western Hemisphere.
Included are 131 slide cabinets containing about
100,000 microscope slides, mainly of moth genitalia.
The collection is particularly rich in Nearctic
and Neotropical species as well as Palearctic material
for most families. The microlepidoptera collection
contains excellent coverage of Far Eastern species.
Important holdings include: W. Barnes (450,000),
A. Blanchard (60,000), A.E. Brower (115,000), P.
Dognin (50,000), D.C. Ferguson (50,000), M. Gentili
(12,000), S. Issiki (16,000), E. Jackh (55,000),
A. Kawabe (22,000), and J. Robert (40,000).
Other important insect order holdings include Trichoptera,
Thysanoptera, Plecoptera, Neuroptera, Isoptera,
Mecoptera, Mallophaga, Anoplura, Siphonaptera, Odonata,
Orthoptera, Embioptera, Zoraptera, and Psocoptera.
The Collection also includes the classes Chilopoda,
Diplopoda, Arachnida, Symphyla, and Pauropoda
Facilities:
The Department of Entomology currently has the most
modern insect collection facility in the world.
Both dry and wet collections are housed in new,
airtight, pest-proof, metal specimen cabinets, about
half of which are on electric compactors. The collections
are enhanced by specially constructed alcohol (wet
collection) storage rooms and facilities for housing
reprint libraries. Modern chemical storage facilities,
compactorized equipment and supplies storage, walk-in
and reach-in freezers, critical point dryers, and
ventilated sorting center all support state-of-the-art
collections care. The Department has several digital
photographic stations (both AutoMontage and Microptics
systems) for use by staff and researchers. The Entomology
Molecular Systematics Laboratory, a shared facility
managed by WRBU at the Museum Support Center, is
also available for research investigations.
Fieldwork:
Field studies are conducted in many parts of the
United States, Mexico, Central and South America,
the Asia-Pacific region, and, to a lesser extent,
in Europe, Africa, and Australia. Smithsonian entomologists
currently participate in long-term biodiversity
survey projects in Costa Rica (Arthropods of La
Selva), Peru, Guyana, Papua New Guinea, the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park, and Kenya, among
others. Past and present major projects in Sri Lanka,
Peru, Madagascar, and Papua New Guinea have yielded
millions of specimens for research. A series of
canopy-fogging projects in Central and South America,
initiated in 1974, has produced nearly 9 million
specimens.
Publications:
The Department of Entomology produces an average
of 135 scientific publications per year, including
journal articles, monographs, and books. Members
of the Department traditionally serve as officers
of the Entomological Society of Washington, which
publishes the Proceedings of the Entomological Society
of Washington and the Memoirs of the Entomological
Society of Washington. Departmental staff also serves
as editors of these publications as well as others,
including the Journal of the New York Entomological
Society, Journal of the International Society of
Hymenopterists, etc. The Department produces a monthly
newsletter, Ent News, which is available in both
hard-copy and electronically online.
Education
and Outreach:
The Department of Entomology has a proven history
of training postdoctoral researchers as well as
graduate and undergraduate students with special
partnerships through the Smithsonian-University
of Maryland MCSE (Maryland Center for Systematic
Entomology) program and the Smithsonian-George Washington
University graduate training program. Through a
variety of other cooperative arrangements staff
members act both formally and informally as advisors
to graduate students and occasionally teach courses
at universities both locally and abroad. Specimens
are made available to students for thesis work through
loans to their academic advisors and students and
researchers are welcome to visit the entomology
collections and facilities to conduct their investigations
on-site.
Library:
The Entomology Library contains over 23,000 volumes,
including 120 journal subscriptions, on insect systematics,
ecology, behavior, and related areas. The collection
is especially rich in the areas of taxonomy and
anatomy of insects and related arthropods, especially
arachnids.
Programs
& Affiliates
Systematic
Entomology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture:
The Systematic Entomology Laboratory conducts research
to develop comprehensive classification systems
for insects and mites on a world basis; furnishes
taxonomic services to Federal, state, and private
organizations involved in research and action programs
in agricultural, biological, and health sciences;
cooperates with the Smithsonian Institution on a
working basis in the continuing development and
maintenance of a large portion of the U.S. National
Entomological Collections; and develops information,
storage, and retrieval systems for systematic and
biological information. Contact: M. Alma Solis.
Maryland
Center for Systematic Entomology (MCSE): Founded
in 1981, the Maryland Center for Systematic Entomology
(MCSE) is a consortium for research and training
in the systematics of insects and allied groups.
Graduate students are enrolled in the Department
of Entomology, University of Maryland, with a Smithsonian
or USDA-SEL scientist as co-advisor. Research focus
includes tropical biology, ecology, evolutionary
biology, behavior, molecular systematics, and systematic
methods, in addition to the systematics and biogeography
of virtually all the major groups of terrestrial
arthropods.
George
Washington University (GWU) : The Smithsonian-George
Washington University graduate training program
fosters collaborative research between GWU students,
faculty and Smithsonian entomologists. The George
Washington University, located in downtown Washington,
DC, recently added four endowed chairs in systematics
to their biology faculty. Through this partnership,
graduate students are enrolled in the GW Department
of Biology with a Smithsonian or USDA scientist
as co-advisor. Research focus includes molecular
and morphological systematics, paleontology, biogeography,
physiology, and ecology of a wide range of organisms.
Contact: Jonathan Coddington.
Walter
Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU): The mission
of the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU) is
to conduct systematics research on medically important
arthropods and to maintain the U.S. mosquito collection.
WRBU staff conducts laboratory and field research
on the systematics of medically important arthropod
species and species groups in support of epidemiological
studies and disease-control strategies of importance
to the military. Research efforts are carried out
on a worldwide basis, with regionalization or faunistic
restrictions dictated by available material and
military requirements. In all cases, the primary
goal of WRBU research efforts is the development
of accurate and reliable means for identifying vectors
of human arbopathogens. The WRBU is located at the
Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland. Contact:
Richard C. Wilkerson
For
more information about the Department of Entomology,
including a complete staff listing and research
initiatives, visit the Entomology
web site.
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