Life Collections: entomology collections database
The Hope Entomological Collections (HEC) house somewhere in the region of 3.5 million specimens, this along with the extensive associated library and archives form one of the best entomological resources in the United Kingdom. The collection began life with the bequest by the Reverend Frederick W. Hope of his entire collection in 1849. The Hope Professors John O. Westwood, Edward B. Poulton, Geoffrey D. Hale Carpenter and George C. Varley also amassed large amounts of material, through both their own research, and from donations by some of the most prominent entomologists of the day, such as C. Swinhoe, J.J. Walker, A.W. Pickard-Cambridge, A.H. Hamm, E. Saunders, B.M. Hobby, K.R. Hanitsch, J.C., & C.W. Dale, J. Curtis, J. Francillon, P.A. Latreille, C.G. Nees von Esenbeck, H. de Saussure A.R. Wallace and T.V. Wollaston.
To assist researchers in locating material housed in the HEC, the list of entomologists collections as compiled by Smith (1986) and from the accessions registrar 1933-date have been electronically catalogued. The HEC accessions registrar was started in 1893 by E.B. Poulton, the first book contains the information from 1893 to 1904, the book(s) that fill the years between 1904-1933 are believed to have been lost during the war. The large bequests by Hope and Westwood, which include a large number of other entomologists collections, predate the accessions system, and are generally referred to as the Hope/Westwood bequest. The pre 1904 data is currently being processed and will be on-line in due course.
Field names in the database
Collection: Name of entomologist, collection or survey vouchers deposited. Some collections will have come already incorporated into another, in such cases the reader is directed to the host collection.
Description: Gives brief details of the contents (where known) of each collection, including the presence of Types.
Order/Family: Most entries give the orders and families in each collection. Where collections contain numerous orders and families the term 'various' is used.
Date and Method of Acquisition: The date at which the collection was first registered in the HEC, and from what source it came.
Size: An approximate number of specimens included within each collection.
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How to use the databases
A guide to searching the databases
Enquiries regarding the collections should be sent to: life@oum.ox.ac.uk
