Diptera and Siphonaptera
The sub-collection comprises almost a million specimens. With around 9,200 type series, it ranks among the world’s most significant research resources of its kind for biodiversity and taxonomy.
Overview
The Diptera and Siphonaptera sub-collection is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It comprises almost a million preserved specimens of flies, mosquitoes and fleas.
The focus is on Diptera (two-winged insects) with around 27,000 species. These account for around 16% of the species described to date. The sub-collection is supplemented by the Siphonaptera (fleas) order, comprising 237 species and approximately 1,200 specimens, which corresponds to around ten per cent of all known flea species worldwide.
Of particular significance is the high proportion of type specimens: the sub-collection comprises around 9,200 type series, including, in the Muscoidea section alone, the type specimens of over 1,000 nominal species. The specimens originate from all zoogeographical regions, with a geographical focus on middle of Europe.
The specimens are pinned, fixed on slides or preserved in alcohol.
There are also three subsidiary collections:
- Wet collection with alcohol preparations (primarily fleas, larvae and trap catches)
- Microscopic specimens
- Leaf miners
Contact
Jenny Pohl
Konservatorin
E-Mail: jenny.Pohl@mfn.berlin
Telefon: 030 889140-8521
Sven Marotzke,
Conservator
Email: sven.marotzke@mfn.berlin
Telephone: +49 30 889140-8503
Access
The sub-collection is available to researchers for academic work. Typical uses include:
- taxonomic and systematic studies
- requests for the use of images and data
- Loans
- longer-term research stays in the collection
The holdings have been fully inventoried and assigned to their respective families. Since 2013, the insect boxes have been digitised in high resolution. As part of the project ‘Cataloguing Special Collections with Large Numbers of Objects’, the main collection and the Hering Collection have been fully recorded.
In total, the sub-collection comprises around 800,000 pinned specimens. Following revision, the associated data is being made available in stages in publicly accessible databases and on the Insect Portal. High-resolution photographs, including those of type specimens and microstructures, complement the digital cataloguing.
History
The development of this sub-collection began as early as the 19th century. Significant contributions were made by, among others, Hermann Loew (1807–1879), Carl Eduard Adolph Gerstäcker (1828–1895), Theodor Becker (1840–1928) and Oswald Duda (1869–1941). Special collections belonging to Paul Lackschewitz (1895–1936) and Ewald Heinrich Rübsaamen (1887–1919) have been incorporated over the past few decades, as have extensive regional collections belonging to Max Paul Riedel (1870–1941), Erich Kirchberg (1914–1968) and Klaus Günther (1907–1975) from Berlin and Brandenburg. In addition, extensive material from regions outside Europe, including former German colonial territories, was acquired.
A large proportion of the type material originates from the specialised collections of individual dipterologists, including holdings on Tipulidae, Culicidae, Bombyliidae, Cecidomyiidae, as well as Muscoidea and Oestroidea. These historical holdings continue to define the international significance of the sub-collection to this day.
A particular highlight is the collection of leaf miners by Erich Martin Hering (1893–1967). It comprises over 3,000 species from several orders of insects.
Research
This sub-collection forms a key foundation for taxonomic, systematic and biodiversity-related research. Researchers from all over the world make particular use of the extensive type specimen collection for revision-based work.
Furthermore, the global origin of the material enables:
- comparisons of historical and current ranges
- Analyses of species shifts in the context of climate change
- Data sets for threat assessments and Red Lists
The sub-collection also plays an important role in applied research. Diptera are relevant model organisms for:
- forensic investigations (e.g. myiasis)
- One Health approaches as potential vectors of pathogens
- biological pest control, for example through parasitic or predatory species
Recent additions to the collection from the Italian Alps and high-mountain regions of Iran expand the research potential. Several new species have been described on this basis; the corresponding types are deposited in the sub-collection.