The identified insect specimens preserved in the collection belong to the following 19 insect orders: Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies), Embioptera (webspinners), Grylloblattodea (ice crawlers), Dermaptera (earwigs), Blattodea (cockroaches), Mantodea (praying mantises), Isoptera (termites), Phasmatodea (stick and leaf insects), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets and locusts), Psocoptera (booklice), Thysanoptera (thrips), Strepsiptera (twisted-wing parasites), Megaloptera (alderflies and dobsonflies), Raphidioptera (snakeflies), Neuroptera (net-winged insects), Trichoptera (caddisflies) and Mecoptera (scorpionflies and hangingflies).
Although more than half of our specimens originate from the Carpathian Basin geographical area, we also have notable collections from other Palearctic regions, such as the Balkan Peninsula, Mongolia and the Korean Peninsula. In addition to the Palearctic region, the Oriental (especially Vietnam, Taiwan and New Guinea), and the Afrotropical (epsecially Ghana, Congo, Kenya and Tanzania) regions are also well represented.
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Staff
Senior Curator: Viktória Gabriella Szőke
Curator:
Volunteers: György Sziráki
Collection size
Total specimens: approximately 200 thousands identified, further 200 thousands unidentified lots.
Number of species: approximately 5000
Number of types: approximately of 600 species
Library: about 1000 books and reprints of 10 thousands scientific articles
Remarkable collections
Odonata collection (dragonflies and damselflies)
This unit of the collection is the only one that survived the fire of the revolution in 1956 without serious damages. The most valuable pieces are the New Guinea types, collected by Lajos Bíró (early 20th century), and the historical Hungarian fauna collection, that covers more than a hundred years.
Plecoptera collection (stoneflies)
Due to the collecting and processing work of the recent years, our plecoptera collection accounts for more than 8000 items of 611 species, including type specimens of 56 species and two subspecies. In addition to the Hungarian materials, remarkable collections enrich our department from different parts of the world: from the Carpathians, the Balkans, Korea, Mongolia, the Nearctic and Oriental regions and West Africa. In regard to our on growing Balkans material, we possess three quarters of the taxa, including freshly described holotypes as well as a large number of formerly defined topotypes. Although Albania is by far the most represented country followed by Greece and Montenegro; this collection holds a certain amount of specimens from all of the remaining countries of the area.
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Availability
Databases are available at our location, enabling search capabilities according to orders, countries or regions. Detailed information is available in the databases of the orders Plecoptera, Dermaptera and Megaloptera.
The collections is open for visitors by appointment only.
Collection materials are available for loan and scientific examination for external researchers.
To discuss any of your requests, please contact our museologist at the following address: szoke.viktoria@nhmus.hu
Research loans
Loan policy statement (PDF)
Loan agreement (DOC)
On-site examination
Terms and Conditions (PDF)
Research permit form (DOC)