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The
insect collection of the LACM is the largest in southern California,
and ranked approximately 10th in size in North America. Our
strengths are in material from California, Mexico and Central
America, but we have worldwide representation for many groups.
Take our survey...
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| Photographs
by C. L. Bellamy |
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Entomology
Types
- Of
special interest are the type specimens preserved in our
collections. Numerous secondary types (syntypes, paratypes,
paralectotypes) exist throughout our main collection.
Primary types (holotypes, lectotypes, neotypes) are kept
in locked cabinets to protect them from unnecessary exposure
to risks befitting the special stature as the name-bearing
specimen for each respective taxon. Learn
our loan policy...
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| The
special strengths of the collection include:
INSECTS
OF THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES
Holdings
are especially large for material from southern California,
which include extremely important special collections from
localities such as El Segundo Dunes and California Channel
Islands. These special collections are uniquely important
for environmental and conservation biology studies. See
our special collections...
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ACULEATE
HYMENOPTERA (ants, bees and social wasps)
One
of the most significant collections in the United States
(R. Snelling; personal communication). The museum’s holdings
of ants are the second largest in North America (after the
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University); the
collection of New World ants is one of the best in the world
. Among the important ant holdings are the collection of
W. Creighton, author of the last monograph of North American
ants, and Dan Janzen’s collection of Pseudomyrmex
ants associated with Acacia plants. The collection
of solitary bees (Hylaeinae) is probably the most
comprehensive in the world, and the coverage of social Hymenoptera,
other than ants, is extremely extensive.
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Catalog:
List of Hymenoptera in
the LACM |
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LEPIDOPTERA
(butterflies and moths)
The
holdings of Central American moths are probably the world’s
best, especially in the family Arctiidae (tiger moths).
Largest and most comprehensive collection of southwestern
U.S. moths and butterflies in the world, especially strong
in Geometridae (second largest collection in US) and
heliothidine Noctuidae (largest in world).
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Catalog:
List of Butterfly Species in
the LACM
Catalog:
List of Moth Species in the LACM |
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Blephariceridae
(net-winged midges). The world’s best collection of these
flies was amassed by the late Charles Hogue, former curator
of entomology. The holdings are worldwide in scope, but
especially rich in poorly-known and undescribed material
from South America.
Phoridae
(ant-decaptitating flies). In breadth, scope and diversity,
the phorid fly collection is one of the five best in the
world. Our holdings of parasitic species is by far the largest
and most complete in the world. The largest collections
are from Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Thailand, South Africa
and Slovakia, and new material is constantly being added.
This collection is one of the least duplicated in other
museums.
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COLEOPTERA
(beetles)
[see research ]
[see books ]
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By
any measure, the largest and most successful group of all
terrestrial organisms.
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Catalog: List of
Beetle Species in the LACM |
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| Our
collections are strong in several families, but particularly
so for:
Scarabaeidae
(scarab beetles, dung beetles, chafers).
[see Article
]
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Catalog:
List of Scarab Species
in the LACM |
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A
new checklist of Nearctic scarabs is available here |
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| Buprestidae
(metallic wood-boring or jewel beetles) [see
The
World of Buprestoidea ] |
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| ODONATA
(Dragonflies and damselflies)
The LACM
collection has recently been cataloged by Mr. Jeff Cole.
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Catalog: List of Odonata
in the LACM |
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| TRICHOPTERA |
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