About

The Department of Entomology combines a vibrant research community with an insect, arachnid, and myriapod collection that serves as the core for collections-based research in both basic and applied fields of study.

With over 35 million specimens and 130,000 primary type specimens, the Smithsonian insect collection is one of the largest entomological collections in the world. Specimens and their associated data are used as the basis for original collections-based research on the taxonomy, life history, geography, and evolutionary history of insects, arachnids, and myriapods. The collections are world-wide in scope and include large holdings of medically and agriculturally important species, making parts of the collection especially significant as sources of research into the evolutionary relationships and identification of insect pests. 

The collection is administered by the Smithsonian Institution, but three separate U.S. government agencies provide research and curatorial staff, i.e., the Smithsonian (SI), the Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) of the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Identification Service (NIS) of the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture. The three agencies have separate missions: SEL and NIS scientists study primarily taxa of agricultural importance and provide identification services and SI researchers are open to choice of groups of insects and research field.

The collection is housed in two locations in the Washington, D.C. area. The core, and largest part, is housed in the National Museum of Natural History in downtown Washington, D.C. where almost all of the researchers are working, too. Parts of the collection including all medically important flies, all myriapods, and several other groups of insects are located at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, MD.

Cooperation between these affiliated agencies is directed toward the common objective of developing the United States National Museum (USNM) entomology collection for research and reference and make the specimens and core biodiversity data accessible to the scientific community.