Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Gainesville

About Florida State Collection of Arthropods

The Florida State Collection of Arthropods in Gainesville houses over 12 million prepared insect and arthropod specimens from around the world, ranking among the top five entomological collections in North America. Visitors explore thousands of drawers, slides, and vials containing specimens, along with millions more held in bulk alcohol containers and dry samples. The collection originated in 1915 to help protect Florida's agriculture and natural resources by identifying pests submitted for examination. Tours are available for school classes and individuals interested in entomology and arthropod research. The FSCA maintains special collaborations with the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History next door, which houses one of the world's largest butterfly and moth collections. Additional holdings are maintained by Florida A&M University, focusing on aquatic insect orders. The collection supports researchers worldwide and publishes scientific papers including Circulars, Occasional Papers, and the Arthropods of Florida and Neighboring Land Areas series.