Life in the Open Spaces: the Entomological Collections - Museum
Entomology collection
The Museum of Entomology, University of Tuscia, has been founded in 1982 by Prof. Massimo Olmi at the same time of the foundation of the Institute of Plant Protection of the same University. Prof. Olmi has been its organizer and curator for about 30 years. The original nucleus of this museum consisted of a significant entomological collection used for teaching and study. In the following years, the museum has been supplied with the contributions of many other researchers members of that institute and, from 1990, the Department of Plant Protection. Currently, the Museum consists of about 400 entomological boxes containing about 9000 specimens belonging to all the main orders of insects and collected mainly in Italian regions. In addition, in the museum there are some scientific collections composed of specimens belonging to particular taxonomic groups, such as the collections of Coleoptera of Alessandro Focarile, Hymenoptera of Guido Pagliano. A great part of the material present in the museum has been identified by Italian and foreign specialists. The remaining part - a large number of specimens collected mainly in Northern Lazio and adjacent regions - is being studied.
In addition, in the Museum of Entomology there is a teaching collection of insects consisting of 90 boxes containing about 1400 specimens used in the practical classes of Entomology and Zoology of the University.
