Clemson University Arthropod Collection

The Clemson University Arthropod Collection (CUAC) supports the teaching, research, and extension activities of the University. The Collection consists of approximately 1.3 million specimens from Classes Insecta, Arachnida, Branchipoda, Copepoda, Diplopoda, and Chilopoda. The wet, alcohol-preserved collection is exceptionally rich, with over 1,000,000 specimens, nearly half of which are Trichoptera, or caddisflies, resulting from 40 years of work by Director Emeritus Dr. John Morse. The pinned, dry collection comprises only about 200,000 specimens, but also has strong regional representation of all the major orders. The CUAC collection serves as a permanent repository for specimens used in University research. It serves as a reference collection for identifying economically and ecologically significant samples sent in from all over South Carolina. The specimens in the collection also provide a historical record of the changing biota of the southeastern region dating back nearly 100 years. The Museum's educational displays are used to enhance University courses and are viewed by visitors to the Collection and by participants in demonstrations at off-campus venues.