Coleoptera

With about 500.000 described species, Coleoptera (beetles) form the largest insect order worldwide. However, it is unknown how many additional species are yet to be described, but the estimate lies between one and five million.

Size of the Collections

The number of specimens, species and types within the Coleoptera collection cannot be accurately stated at the present time. The total number of specimens is estimated at around 3-4 million (the countless material preserved in ethanol excluded!). The number of species is estimated at about 100.000, the number of species represented by type material is roughly 9.000, the number of type specimens about 30.000. Thus, the Coleoptera collection is the second largest in Germany.

The collection includes a large number of historical collections, some of which are rich in types. Several important collections that have been donated to the ZSM are still in the hands of their former holders, which makes more exact estimations of their species and specimen counts difficult.

For several years now a collection of beetle larvae is being established, with Chrysomelidae and recently Carabidae being best represented.