Hymenoptera

The Hymenoptera Section

The Hymenoptera collection is closed and inaccessible due to construction work, and is expected to reopen in spring 2024.

The ZSM houses, with over three million specimens, one of the largest collections of Hymenoptera. The megadiverse parasitoids represent a major part of the collection, in particular the collection of Ichneumonidae that is international importance because of its size and the number of type specimens.

Several collections of renowned entomological specialists amount to the value of the Hymenoptera collection, including Theodor Hartig (1805-1880), Arnold Förster (1810-1884), Josef Kriechbaumer (1819-1902), Erich Bauer (1885-1972), Gerd Heinrich (1896-1984), Rolf Hinz (1916-1994), Rudolf Bauer (1929-2003), Klaus Horstmann (1938-2013) and Manfred Kraus (1928-2021)

The collection contains about 7,500 type specimens. Most of these are parasitoids (about 5,000 specimens, mainly Ichneumonidae), and about 1,500 type specimens of aculeate wasps and slightly over 600 type specimens of sawflies (Symphyta).

Specimens are stored in about 12,500 insect drawers. The collection hall is situated underground and fully air conditioned. It was built in 1985 according to modern curatorial standards.

The Hymenoptera section maintains an extensive collection of digital objects that is constantly being expanded. This includes species lists, checklists, type catalogs and high-resolution images of insect boxes.