pinned insects from drawer at the Texas A&M Insect Collection

Texas A&M University Insect Collection

The Texas A&M University Insect Collection, TAMUIC, is one of the top 10 university-based insect collections in the nation. The collection has been an integral part of entomology at Texas A&M more than 100 years and plays a vital role in advancing our university’s land-grant mission.

45K+

Identified species in collection

100+

Years supporting science and outreach

3.0M+

Curated specimens in collection

The collection has grown steadily through the years to better serve the state and scientific community. It is the largest and most complete research and reference collection of Texas arthropods anywhere and is an important entomological research collection in the state of Texas.

Our collection is used extensively by research entomologists around the world, particularly by those studying in the field of insect systematics – which involves studies of the biodiversity, classification and evolutionary relationships of insects. The collection loans more than 10,000 specimens annually to researchers working in different parts of the world.

Because of the collection’s geographical emphasis on the insect fauna of Texas, surrounding states, and Mexico, the collection is particularly well-known and used by researchers around the state, nationally, and internationally who work on insects in these areas. By making specimens widely available for scientific study, the Texas A&M University Insect Collection is an important node in the global network of biodiversity research collections and supports the efforts of entomological researchers around the world to better understand and document the diversity and distribution of the earth’s arthropod fauna.

Where is the Texas A&M Insect Collection located?

The collection is located in several spaces in the Minnie Belle Heep Building. The primary collection room is Heep 216, which also houses the offices of its curators.

What does the Texas A&M University Insect Collection contain?

The collection contains more that 3.0 million fully-curated specimens, and several million additional specimens as bulk samples. Over the past 30 years the collection has grown at an average rate of more than 50,000 specimens per year. While the taxonomic focus of the collection is primarily on insects, it also contains good representation of most other terrestrial and freshwater arthropod groups – including, particularly, important collections of spiders and scorpions. The collection’s holdings are preserved using a variety methods – including specimens on pins, on points, in alcohol, on microscope slides, in envelopes, and in -20ºC and -80ºC freezers – depending on the taxonomic group, curatorial status, and intended research use of the specimens.

What is the Texas A&M Insect Collection used for?

The collection serves Texans in a number of important ways. It is an archive for historically important specimens and is an important teaching and research tool for undergraduate and graduate studies in insect biodiversity. Many undergraduate entomology students work as part-time curatorial assistants in the collection, a truly unique learning experience!

One of the most immediate and practical uses of the insect collection is its role as an extensive reference collection that can be consulted to help ensure accurate insect identifications. Specimens housed in the collection that have been identified by experts across the United States and around the world serve as reference materials that help state entomologists answer that inevitable first question of entomology – what is it?

A simple question, but not a simple one to answer, given that there are more than 1 million different named species of insects – and probably more than 30,000 of these occur in Texas! The collection also serves as a source of high-quality specimens that are available for off-site loan by qualified researchers. The collection annually mails around 40,000 specimens to researchers in Texas, across the U.S., and around the world, in support of an exceptionally wide variety of research projects relating to insect biodiversity.

How does the Texas A&M Insect Collection contribute to research?

One of the most immediate and practical uses of the insect collection is that it serves as a comprehensive reference for insect identifications is one of the most immediate and practical uses of the insect collection. Specimens housed in the collection that have been accurately identified by experts across the United States and around the world serve as reference materials that enable state entomologists to answer that inevitable first question of entomology: what is it?

A simple question, but not simple to answer given that there are more than 1 million different named species of insects – and probably more than 30,000 of these occur in Texas!

Who can use the Texas A&M Insect Collection?

One of the most immediate and practical uses of the insect collection is that it serves as a comprehensive reference source for insect identifications. Due to the fragile nature of the collection’s specimens, the collection is not open for general public browsing; but, a limited number of tours of the collection are given each year. To view or utilize any of the collection’s holdings, please contact one of the collection’s curators.

Contact the Curators

John Oswald

Professor, Curator, Texas A&M University Insect Collection

(979) 862-3507

j-oswald@tamu.edu
Heep 216A

Texas A&M University Insect Collection

Contact the Curators

John Oswald