University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

The UMMZ Insect Division houses a world-class collection with over 4.5 million specimens from all over the globe. An emphasis on specific taxonomic groups has produced outstanding collections of the Acari, Orthoptera, and Odonata, and to a lesser extent, the Homoptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. The aquatic groups and a significant portion of the mite collection are databased and there is an ongoing effort to make the rest of the collection digitally accessible.

The Insect Division is dedicated to studying biodiversity and maintains active collections that are continually growing. In addition to discovering and describing new species, our collections are used in a variety of evolutionary and ecological research, ranging from phylogenetics and systematics, host-parasite interactions, sexual selection, patterns of biodiversity, historical biogeography, phylogeography and speciation.

Our two curators, Barry M. OConnor and L. Lacey Knowles also advise graduate and undergraduate students. The division supports and provides a variety of opportunities for collaborative and independent student research, and offers employment opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students. We often sponsor postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists interested in curating and conducting research with our specimens as well. Our collections coordinator Mark O'Brien oversees the general maintenance of the collections and coordinates students and volunteers interested in working on the collections.