Entomology Collections

A drawer of preserved insects

The Entomology Collection contains 500,000 pinned and 1.5 million ethanol-preserved specimens, with concentrations in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, and ants), and cave invertebrates.

Most specimens document the geographic and seasonal occurrences of insect species across Texas, but the collection houses important samples from other states, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia; as well as the historic Ludolph Heiligbrodt Collection (1870-1910) from Bastrop County; as well as a collection of insect-host plant voucher specimens. Voucher specimens from University of Texas research projects, including a number of landmark studies on fire ants, are also in the collection. 

Contact

Alex Wild, Curator - Ants

Tom Atkinson, Collections Manager - Bark Beetles

James Reddell, Curator Emeritus, Cave Invertebrates 

Lab phone: 512-232-1896

AW

Alexander Wild

  • Lecturer
  • Biology Instructional Office
  • College of Natural Sciences
  • Biodiversity Center