Aquatic Entomology
Research Collections
at
Florida A&M University
In 1966 the late Dr William L. Peters founded what is today the Florida A&M University Museum Collections of Aquatic Entomology to house research collections of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and general insect collections for teaching.
The research systematic collection of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and other aquatic insects is used for both systematic and ecological research. The Ephemeroptera collection is the most significant mayfly collection in the world. The systematic collection of Chironomidae (Diptera) is of national importance, and the collections of Plecoptera and Trichoptera are of regional significance.
A sand-burrowing mayfly nymph (photographed out of the sand), a rare insect worldwide and an important component of healthy Florida sand rivers
The Ephemeroptera collection at FAMU currently contains over 750,000 specimens. FAMU is now responsible for one of the largest museum collections of Ephemeroptera in the World and for assuring its conservation and accessibility to the research community.
All systematic insect collections at FAMU are an integral part of the Florida State Collection of Arthropods.