Entomological collections

The scientific collection of terrestrial arthropods is used in research on systematics and Norwegian and Nordic insect fauna, and is part of the national research infrastructure for entomology. 

The majority of species in Norway are represented in the collections, particularly the insect groups hoverflies (Syrphidae), caddisflies (Trichoptera), butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), bumblebees (Apidae), aphids (Aphidae), a number of smaller fly families (Diptera), and true bugs (Heteroptera), as well as millipedes (Diplopoda), spiders (Araneae) and mites (Oribatida, Mesostigmata). The mite sub-collection includes both ethanol-preserved material and material prepared on microscope slides, and is exceptional in a Norwegian and Nordic context.

Unique international collections include bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae, Platypodidae) and non-biting midges (Chironomidae), with many hundreds of primary types, essential for taxonomic research.