Coleoptera collection

Curator: Pavel Bogdanov.

64 373 specimens (including over 63 thousand beetles). The core of this collection is the specimens from the private collection of A.S. Khomyakov and materials purchased from the company of A. Blanca (Moscow). These are mainly tropical beetles, orthoptera, cicadidae, hymenoptera, and odonata mostly from various regions of Central and South America, Western and Southeast Asia, as well as the islands of the Malay archipelago.

Worth to be noted is a collection of beetles gathered and mounted in double-sided boxes made in the shape of books at the end of the 19th century. This collection comprises about 30 000 specimens the majority of which is attributed to the families of Scarabaeidae, Lucanidae, Buprestidae, and Cerambycidae covering pretty much the whole of the world fauna. Unfortunately, the collection at one time was seriously affected by pests. At the moment, the museum staff is carrying out its systematic restoration.

A great variety of Palaearctic species of the Carabidae (the genus Carabus, Callisthenes and Calosoma) and Scarabaeidae families. 

26 type specimens (paratypes) of various subspecies of Ground beetles (the genus Carabus) described by D.V. Obydov in the 90s, which increases its scientific value.

In the 1970s, the collection of beetles was replenished with interesting specimens collected in the northern aimags (provinces) of Mongolia by the former chief curator of Darwin museum V.V. Kozhemyakin.

In the 1980s, significant scientific material was purchased from Moscow entomologist M.L. Danilevsky. It included mainly specimens of the families Carabidae, Cerambycidae, and Tenebrionidae.

 Over the past 20 years, the collection has expanded significantly due to regular collections by the museum staff - D.V. Obydova and O.A. Gvozdeva - on the territory of Russia and the republics of Central Asia, as well as through occasional contributions of other employees.

Tropical jewel beetles (Buprestidae family).

Tropical cicadas (Tosena sp.).