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ASU Insect Collections
The ASU Insect Collections, managed by Sangmi Lee (collection manager), consists of three primary collections: Hasbrouck Insect Collections, Charles O'Brien Collections, and Lois O'Brien Collections. The ASU Hasbrouck Collections (ASUHIC) houses approximately 1,000,000 insect specimens, representing more than 15,000 species, with geographic concentrations in the southwestern United States and New World tropics. The Charles O'Brien (ASUCOB) and Lois O'Brien (ASULOB) Collections together contain around 1,200,000 specimens of weevils and fulgoroids, with a global range and particular emphasis on the New World and Neotropical regions. The collection is managed to maximize engagement with researchers and the general public. Since 2012, efforts have been underway to digitize the collections for open access via Ecdysis, the Symbiota Collections of live-data Arthropods Network.
Access the ASUHIC, ASUCOB, & ASULOB On-Line Holdings @ Ecdysis
NEON Invertebrate Biorepository
The NEON Invertebrate Biorepository, managed by Isa Betancourt (collection manager), consists of carabid, invertebrates bycatch, mosquito, tick and aquatic macroinvertebrate collections.
Access the NEON Biorepository Data Portal
Visit our Collection
Address: Suite # 145 - 734 West Alameda Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Mission: To ensure the continued preservation and augmentation of the remarkable existing entomology collection, to facilitate research on the insects, to serve as a resource for education and training, and to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility in the public to make our world a better place.
Statement of Purpose: The ASU Insect Collections maintains quality natural history collections to promote its mission through exhibition, research, and education.
History of the Collections
The Hasbrouck Insect Collections began to flourish in the early 1960s under the curatorship of Frank F. Hasbrouck. It was previously known as ASUT for "Tempe". Hasbrouck was joined by other faculty members including Gordon Bender, Gordon Castle, Herbert Stahnke, and above all Mont A. Cazier. Jointly this group of ASU entomologists grew the collection to nearly 700,000 specimens in a span of three decades, with a strong emphasis on documenting the southwestern United States and Sonoran insect fauna.
In 2011 Nico Franz was appointed as the new curator, and in the subsequent year Sangmi Lee was hired as the collection manager. The official collection code was changed to ASUHIC. With new personnel and resources, the collection has been fully reactivated with a diverse program in research, teaching, and outreach to the public.
In 2018 the O'Brien Insect Collections containing approximately over 1.2 million weevil and planthopper specimens, with a global range and emphasis on New World (and Neotropical) regions, was transferred and reactivated at ASU Insect Collections.
Utilize the links below for further information.
Additional Resources: