Odonata can be divided into two suborders: Anisoptera (true dragonflies) and Zygoptera (damselflies). In the collection, these subordes are intermingled and initial sorting takes place at the family level. Because the collection consists of insects on pin and in papillae (envelopes), there is a physical distinction in the dry collection between these two modes of preservation. Naturalis also manages material on alcohol, although this is a very small proportion. The Odonata collection consists of about 300,000 specimens.
History
As with the other insect collections, traces of the merger are quite noticeable in the Odonata collection. In 2010 Naturalis absorbed the entomological collection of Wageningen University and in 2011 that of the Zoological Museum Amsterdam. The specimens are still largely in the drawers originating from the former institution, but are arranged by family and are together at genus level.
Highlights
These collections have in turn been shaped by historical expeditions and by donations from private researchers. Still our collection continues to grow through transfers from valuable private collections and researchers, and our own fieldwork, such as this masterpiece from Bhutan.
Who workwith this
Keypublications
The collection is used by researchers worldwide for a variety of fields, such as ecology, phylogenetics or faunistics. A major goal is taxonomy: understanding and describing the enormous diversity of species found in urban and natural environments.