Extent of Research Collections
These major research collections contain aquatic insects, particularly mayflies, midges (sometimes called "blind mosquitoes" in Florida), stoneflies, and caddisflies. Some other aquatic groups are also fairly well represented. These insects are important in any research on water quality, global change, and a relatively new field called biodiversity which is concerned with the documentation, management and conservation of life on earth.
Among specimens in the Research Collections are all the original surveys for mayflies and midges in Florida and the first set of records of mayflies for the Southeastern United States. Additional specimens of stoneflies, caddisflies, dobsonflies, fishflies, alderflies, and spongillaflies used in preparing identification manuals for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are included in the Research Collections. FAMU also houses mayfly collections made in Lake Erie before pollution destroyed much of its fauna; as remediation efforts continue, the new discoveries can be compared with older records.
A stonefly nymph from the Southeast
Much of the original research at Florida A&M University concerned the biodiversity of mayflies in Florida as part of a broader world, and many large donations of important material arrived from other scientists and institutions from every continent except Antarctica. FAMU now houses one of the world's largest collections of mayfly "type material". Types are the specimens upon which the scientific name of an organism is based, and proper management and conservation of such material is a basic requirement of natural sciences.
As is necessary in any discipline, FAMU's archival collections also house the essential books and literature used to work with and identify these groups.