Insecta Collection (page 16)

Manihot esculenta, cassava plant
Illustration from Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (1705) by Maria Sybilla Merian

Collecting moths at light
Dr Gaden Robinson collecting moths at light, Rampayoh R. valley, Brunei

Common wasp nest
The rounded nest of the common wasp, (Vespula vulgaris) in the roof rafters of a house. Wasps chew wood and pulp it to make the papery material which the nest comprises of

Daphnia, water flea
A close-up of a water flea (Daphnia sp.), a tiny planktonic crustacean

Honeycomb of Apis sp. honeybee
A close-up of the structure of a the honeycomb made by a colony of honeybees

Pieris rapae, small white butterflies
These white butterflies are also known as cabbage whites, this is because they lay their eggs on cabbage and other cultivated crops, which their caterpillars readily destroy

Butterfly wing scale (part)

Iridomyrmex geinitzi, ants in amber
This specimen is Baltic amber with ants trapped and preserved inside. Ants frequently got caught in the pine resins that were destined to become amber

Aphis fabae, black bean aphid
Scanning electron microscope image showing a frontal view of a black bean aphid on leaf (x100). Aphids or plant lice are small, plant-sucking insects

Mystery bug found in NHM Wildlife garden. Closely resembles a Central European species, Arocatus roeselii, but it is a darker red and lives on plane trees rather than alder

Scarce Swallowtail by John Curtis (1791 - 1862) from British Entomology

Purple Emperor by John Curtis (1791 - 1862) from British Entomology

Brimstone by John Curtis (1791 - 1862) from British Entomology

Cyclophthalmus senior, insect
A scorpion-like terrestrial insect dating from the Carboniferous to the present

Display of lepidoptera, illustrating variation
A collection of moths and butterflies. Only the four in the bottom left corner are butterflies, the rest are unusually colourful moths

Colias hyale, pale clouded yellow butterfly
Mounted specimens of the pale clouded yellow butterfly, family Pieridae from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

Ornithacris pictula magnifica, locust
A locust with its elytra open and wings spread. Locusts sometimes swarm to form groups of up to 80 million and can migrate over large distances

Lasius niger, black garden ant

Musca domestica, house fly
Top view of a Natural History Museum model of the common house fly, a pest species always found in association with humans or human activities

Calliphora vicina, blowfly or blue bottle
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a blowflys wing

Papilio, white butterfly
Illustration of a white butterfly by John Abbot, Tab, 275, Volume 16 from the Abbot Collection held in the Natural History Museums Entomology Library

Cymatophlebia longialata, fossil dragonfly

Danaus plexippus, monarch butterfly
The monarch, also known as the milkweed is the largest butterfly found in the U.K. It is not a native butterfly, but is a rare visitor from the U.S.A

Moths of the family Saturniidae
Mounted specimens of the Emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia Linnaeus) and the great peacock (Saturnia pyri) moths. Moths are nocturnal insects

Comma, Polygonia c-album
Mounted specimens from the collections of The Natural History Museum

Bia actorian, South American butterfly wing
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the fore-wing of the South American butterfly (x 2500)

Insect in amber
An Eocene centipede trapped in Baltic amber about 35-40 million years old. Amber is a natural, translucent fossil resin

Lycaena dispar, large copper
Mounted specimens of the large copper butterflies from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

Danaus plexippus, monarch caterpillar
The stripy caterpillar of the monarch butterfly feeding on a leaf. The monarch is the largest butterfly found in U.K but is not actually native

Chrysopilus sp. fossil fly in amber
This Baltic amber specimen is Oligocene and from East Prussia. It has been polished to make a pendant with the beautifully preserved fly as a centre piece

Moths of the family Notodontidae
Mounted specimens of the swallow prominent, coxcomb prominent, pale prominent, small chocolate-tip, figure of eight, pine processionary, and oak processionary moths

Anopheles sp. anopheline mosquito
Female mosquito feeding. The female requires a diet of blood to ensure the successful maturation of her eggs

Porcellio sp. woodlouse

Sketch for The Natural History Museum, London
An rough architectural plan drawn by Richard Owen in 1859 entitled Idea of a Museum of Natural History. The plan was referred to by Alfred Waterhouse in the creation of the Natural History Museum

Butterflies of the family Pieridae
Mounted specimens of the brimstone, (Gonepteryx rhamni) and cleopatra, (Gonepteryx cleopatra) butterflies. Both these species have colour forms which vary from very pale yellow to a deep yellow-orange

Calliphora vicina, blowfly or bluebottle
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image showing the smaller units making up the compound eye of a blowfly

Insects in copal
Two flies trapped in copal from East Africa - Rhagio sp. and Chrysopilus sp. Specimens date from modern to pleistocene (2 million years ago). Copal is a more mature form of amber

Fossilised millipede (Class Diplopoda)
This fossil is preserved in a siltstone nodule of Carboniferous age from the Yorkshire Coalfield. Length 63mm (unstraightened), length of nodule 76mm

Aporia crataegi, black-veined white butterfly
Two mounted specimens of the black-veined white butterfly from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

Insect collection by James Petiver (1663-1)
This late 17th century insect collection is unique in that the specimens are mounted and preserved between sheets of the mineral mica

Inachis io (Linnaeus), peacock butterfly
A mounted specimen a peacock butterfly, family Nymphalidae from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

Anthophorites titania, fossil bee
A well preserved specimen of the body of a bee. Legs and abdomen can clearly be seen

Verbascam ferrugineum & Tropidacris collaris
Rusty mullein, with South American grasshopper. Drawing by Georg Dionysius Ehret, 1747. Image used in The Chelsea Gardener Philip Miller (1990) by Hazel Le Rougetel, page 187

Glaucopsyche lygdamus, xerces blue
Xerces blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) butterfly specimen from San francisco bay, now thought to be extinct

Papilio, butterflies
Illustration and text by John Abbot: No 38, 39 & 40 Papilio taken 5th March. Common it may be met with most parts of the summer and autumn, the caterpillar is rarely met with

Insects species from China
Plate from the John Reeves (1774-1856) Collection of Entomological Drawings from Canton, China

Insect species from China
Plate from the John Reeves (1774-1856) Collection of Entomological Drawings from Canton, China

Papilio sp. butterflies
Insects of New Holland, New Zealand, New Guinea, Otaheite & other islands in the Indian, Southern & Pacific Oceans by Edward Donovan (1768-1837)

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