overview

Collection Overview

The UAIC houses one of the largest collections of the arthropods for the Sonoran Desert Region of the United States and northwestern Mexico.

Research Collection

The UAIC contains approximately 2.0 million insect specimens, labeled and archived for research and reference. Most of these specimens are pinned and curated in custom-made cabinets. Significant holdings include Coleoptera (600 drawers), Hemiptera (144 drawers), Lepidoptera (156 drawers), and Orthoptera (74 drawers). Over 80% of these specimens are identified to the species-level. Hymenoptera are also well represented (500 drawers), but their identification levels vary considerably from family to family. Five hundred thousand specimens of arachnids, crustaceans, termites, ants, and insect larvae are preserved in alcohol. The slide collection includes preparations of over 25,000 mites, 300 thrips, and sizable collections of mosquitos and ant larvae.

Special Research Collections

The UAIC contains many special research collections which have not yet been incorporated into the main research collection. These include extensive collections of ants, thrips, gall wasps, and mites. It also contains important voucher collections for past and ongoing research projects. Read more about these collections here.

Teaching Collection

A teaching collection is located in the Department of Entomology classroom (Forbes 412). This collection consists of 72 drawers of insects identified to family which are available to students to learn the diagnostic features of the major groups of insects.

Oh My! Outreach Collection

Carefully arranged showcases of especially impressive and charismatic specimens are organized by educational themes. These collections are on permanent display in the museum and they are also used for outreach programs and events.