Introduction & Collection History

The pages in this set provide information on the National Collections of Insects and Mites of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. This introductory page includes general and historical information on the collections. The taxon-oriented pages provide details on the respective parts of the collections curated and maintained largely by SEL personnel, in general, the taxa of greatest importance to American agriculture. Those pages provide links to the pages of the specialists responsible for curation.

Locations

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th Street & Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20560-0168
Building 005, BARC-West, Henry A. Wallace Beltville Agricultural Research Center, 10300 Baltimore, Avenue, Beltsville, MD. 20705-2350
Museum Support Center, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20746

Loans: To recognized institutions and scientists
Associated libraries: Over 6,000 volumes; 3,000 linear feet of reprints
Specimens: More than 30 million; More than 90,000 primary types
Curators: Although Smithsonian scientists have ultimate authority for the curation of the collection and hold the title of Curator, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists spend considerable effort on curatorial functions and manage large portions of the collection. In the taxon-oriented pages of this document set, the names of SEL and Smithonian staff members that work with the taxa are cited. Links are provided to the staff pages of the SEL scientists. Staff pages for Smithsonian entomologists, including the Collection Manager, David G. Furth, can be accessed at www.entomology.si.edu.

Background

The National Collections of Insects and Mites are the largest in the world. They serves as a primary repository for insects of the United States but also has large holdings of material from all parts of the world. Specimens in the collection are used as a basis for important systematic research and are a critical part of the research programs of most fields of entomology. The large holdings of agriculturally important species make this collection especially significant as a source of systematic research and service identification of insect pest groups.

Entomologists outside the Washington, D.C., area are frequently confused about the relationship of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Systematic Entomology Laboratory (SEL) and Smithsonian Systematic Entomologists. This confusion results from a long history of cooperation between them. During the early history of U.S. systematic entomology, C. V. Riley served concurrently as Chief Entomologist for USDA and Honorary Curator of Insects for the Smithsonian; L. O. Howard also served in this double role. Since then, USDA and Smithsonian personnel have successfully worked in concert toward the goal of developing large and useful collections.

History

In 1925, USDA entomological taxonomists were assigned to a division of the Bureau of Entomology; this working arrangement has been maintained to the present with a few changes in name and rank. The current organization, the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, is one of several systematic organizations that reside in the Washington, D.C. area.

Although the U.S. National Museum (USNM) was established in 1842, the first record of an insect collection actually stored in the museum does not appear until 1858. Because of insufficient funds in the 1860's, most of the Smithsonian's USNM insect collection was sent to collaborating specialists with the stipulation that the material could be reclaimed at any time. By the early 1870's the USDA was made the repository for the Smithsonian insect collection, which was added to the USDA collection. The latter began with the acquisition of the personal collection of Townend Glover, the first Chief Entomologist of the USDA. From 1867 until 1881 the collection grew and thrived through the efforts of Glover, Riley, and J. H. Comstock. In 1881, with Riley's reappointment as Chief Entomologist, the USDA insect collection was officially transferred to the National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. With Riley's gift of his personal collection in 1886, the holdings of insects in the USNM had reached the status of a major entomological repository.

The first salaried Smithsonian entomologist was J. B. Smith, who served as assistant curator from 1885 to 1889. He was succeeded by Martin Linell, who was a museum aide from 1889 to 1897. From 1897 until 1940 the Smithsonian had two salaried positions in entomology, excluding clerical assistants. From 1940 to 2000, the scientific staff of the Department of Entomology expanded to 11 full-time scientists and several research associates. In February of 2001, the department ceased to exist formally when it was merged with several other departments to form the Department of Systematic Biology.

USNM

"USNM" has been the standard collection coden for the NMNH collection. However, the general impression has been that USNM is the old acronym for what is is now called the NMNH. It never was. The USNM ceased existence as an administrative unit in 1967, but 10 years earlier it had created two new administrative subdivisions: the Museum of Natural History (MNH) and the Museum of History and Technology. The MNH was was renamed National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in 1969.