Welcome
Key scientists whose primary types are represented in the ANSP Entomology Type Collection include James B. Clemens (1829-1867), Samuel H. Scudder (1837-1911), Ezra T. Cresson, Sr. (1838-1926), Lawrence Bruner (1856-1937), Joseph L. Hancock (1864-1922), Philip P. Calvert (1871-1961), James A.G. Rehn (1881-1965), Morgan Hebard (1887-1946), Annette F. Braun (1884-1978), and Daniel Otte (1939-). In addition, the only surviving lepidopteran type of Thomas Say (1787-1834) survives at ANSP as part of the historic Titian R. Peale Collection.
The George H. Horn (1840-1897) collection of Coleoptera (including many primary types) was originally deposited at ANSP but in the mid-1960s was transferred to the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), Harvard University as part of a major exchange of specimens. During this same time period, the type-rich Lepidoptera collection of Henry Skinner (1861-1926), originally deposited at ANSP, was transferred to the Carnegie Museum as part of an exchange of specimens.
The ANSP Entomology Type Collection is particularly rich in Hymenoptera and the orthopteroid Orders. The above pie chart shows the taxonomic composition of the 11,000+ primary types of insects. Hymenoptera and Orthoptera (sensu strictu) represent more than 70% of the total.
The Entomology Type Collection database includes only primary types (Holotypes, Lectotypes, Neotypes and Syntypes). Paratypes are distributed througout the main Entomology Collection and have not traditionally been segregated. The database was constructed as part of a rehousing/databasing project supported by the National Science Foundation*.
If you are unable to locate a specific type you seek in the above database, please read some search suggestions.*Re-housing and Database Development of the Primary Type Specimens in the Entomological Collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences. $92,432. NSF:Biological Research Collections Award #0138649, awarded April 1, 2002 - March 31, 2004 to Jon Gelhaus.