Entomology Department

The Museum's collection of insects and other terrestrial arthropods, including spiders, mites and myriapods, comprises about 28 million specimens. It is the most comprehensive in the world and includes named representatives of about half of the more than one million described species.

About 100 research, curatorial, support staff and postgraduate students work regularly in the department. Our scientists use the collections and other resources, including the Museum's extensive libraries, in a wide range of research projects, covering many parts of the world.

Relocated

The department has just successfully completed its largest move in more than half a century.

The collections, with an estimated 28 million specimens and 140,000 drawers, have all been moved along with relevant staff either to other locations on the South Kensington site or to our outstation in Wandsworth.

In brief:

• All of the dry collections, except Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera, have been moved to the hugely modified former Origin of Species Gallery on the Museum's first floor.
• The dry Hymenoptera collections (except Chalcidoidea and nests) have been moved into the former Spencer Gallery on the Museum's ground floor.
• The dry Lepidoptera collections and Chalcidoidea have moved to Wandsworth, along with the predominantly slide-based collections of insects and other terrestrial arthropods.
• All of the spirit collections are now housed on the seventh floor of the Darwin Centre phase 1.
  

Demolition of the old entomology building was completed in 2005 to make way for the construction of Darwin Centre phase 2 which began in June 2006.