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Spring 2021
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A robberfly (Asilidae sp.); all photography by Jolanda Huisman
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Bees, butterflies, beetles, and more

An insider’s tour of the University of Minnesota’s Insect Collection

By Kim Kiser
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Room 311 in Hodson Hall on the St. Paul campus is bugged. It isn’t infested with covert surveillance devices. Rather, it’s home to the University of Minnesota Insect Collection in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. With more than 4 million specimens representing more than 53,000 species, it’s one of the premier university-affiliated collections in the United States. Gifts from donors have helped expand its holdings during its more than 140-year history. Here are a few examples of what it contains and how it’s helping us understand ways Minnesota's ecosystem is changing.


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Over the last 15 years, individuals and institutions have donated their collections to the University of Minnesota. One, which was given by Dr. David Ahrenholz, includes this brown butterfly (Anaea syene).
Dorsal view of a cicada (Cicadidae sp.). “Every single specimen functions as a point of data indicating it was found at a specific place and time,” says collection curator Robin Thomson. “We can piece together a landscape and timeline of what the insect fauna looked like in the Midwest and Minnesota 50 or 100 years ago.”
The Minnesota Zoo is working with the U of M to study the Dakota skipper butterfly (Hesperia dacotae), which is highly endangered. “We have examples that were collected decades ago in western Minnesota, when the prairies were more extensive,” says Ralph Holzenthal, professor of entomology and director of the collection. “Without those original specimens, we wouldn’t know they were there.”
Dorsal view of a green stink bug (Pentatomidae sp.). A U of M Extension researcher built a check list of stink bug species likely to be seen in Minnesota. This work, published in 2014, will help identify new species that may be invasive.
Boxes of bees. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is using the collection to study native bees. They’re comparing a historic list of species seen throughout Minnesota with what they’re seeing today, providing insights into changes in the state’s ecosystem.
Dragonflies (Gomphidae sp). The Minnesota Dragonfly Society is one organization that has volunteered to create a database of specimens in the collection. Holzenthal hopes one day donors will help fund a position that would continue building a comprehensive database of all of the collection's holdings.
Tiger beetles (Cicindela sp.) from the collection of Michael McPhee, which was donated by Amy Okaya.
Shiny stag beetles (Lamprima adolphinae). As many as 10 million insect species exist around the world; only about 1 million have been catalogued by scientists. During his 35 years at the University, Holzenthal, his students, and colleagues in the Department of Entomology and elsewhere have described more than 800 new insect species.
Walking sticks (Phasmatodea sp.). Although the collection isn’t open to the public, Thomson does give private tours and often takes specimens on the road, presenting to schools, 4-H clubs, Scout troops, Rotary Clubs, and other groups.
Fulgorids (Diareusa imitatrix) are large plant hoppers found in the tropics. The U of M’s collection includes insect species from North America, Central America, and South America, as well as parts of Africa and southeast Asia.

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