Entomology

With over 800,000 described species—more than half of all known living organisms—insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth. NHMLAC’s entomology collection, one of the largest at the museums, has approximately 6 million specimens of insects, spiders, and other terrestrial arthropods. It is the largest in Southern California and has specimens from all over the world. The collection's strength lies in its holdings of specimens of ants, phorid flies, scarab beetles, and moths from North and Central America. We also have a large and growing collection of insects in amber, about 3,000 pieces. Entomology at the Natural History Museum goes back as far as 1913, when NHM first opened.