Terrestrial arthropods collections
The terrestrial arthropod collection group is made up of insects, arachnids and myriapods. The Onychophora collection is connected to it. With over 40 million specimens, in terms of numbers it accounts for over half of the collections at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.
Attention
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Our collection databases remain available for consultation.
Natural History Collections
- The Museum’s collections portal is once again accessible. Last updated: 01/04/2026
Documentary Collections
- Catalogue of archives, manuscripts, iconographic documents, works of art and Calames collection items
- Printed Works Catalogue
For any requests regarding access to the MNHN’s collections (loans, sampling, images, visits), please refer to the procedure outlined on the page for the collection relevant to your request.
Contact
Scientific Officer
Adeline Soulier-Perkins : adeline.soulier-perkins [@] mnhn.fr
Head of Conservation Service
Laurent Albenga : laurent.albenga [@] mnhn.fr
Apterygota collection
Apterygota comprise the 5 orders of primitive wingless, non-metamorphosing Hexapods: Collembola, Protura, Diplura, Archaeognatha...
Arachnida collection
The Museum’s collections of Arachnida are among the largest of their kind in the world. The term Arachnida covers the following...
Coleoptera collection
The Coleoptera order (beetles, ladybirds, weevils, etc.) consists of holometabolous insects whose forewings are sclerotised to...
Diptera collection
The Diptera order is characterised by the presence of a single pair of wings. It includes mosquitoes, syrphid flies, horseflies...
Hemiptera collection
Hemiptera are an order of insects that have two pairs of wings, with the forewings transformed into hemelytra. It includes cicadas...
Hymenoptera collection
The Hymenoptera order includes well-known species such as bees, wasps and ants, which are among the most common animals on earth...
Lepidoptera collection
With about 130 families and over 160,000 described species, the Lepidoptera order (butterflies and moths) is one of the main...
Myriapod collection
The Muséum’s Myriapod collection is one of the biggest in the world (along with those in London, Chicago, Berlin, Vienna and St...
Neuroptera collection
The Neuroptera are insects that vary greatly in size, from a few millimetres to over 10 centimetres. Their diet consists mainly of...
Odonata collection
Odonata consist of two modern suborders, Zygoptera - more commonly known as damselflies, which fold their wings on body after...
Onychophora collection
Containing priceless historical samples such as the type specimens described by Bouvier in the 1900s, the Muséum’s collection of...
Polyneoptera collection
The Polyneoptera collection contains 5 sub-collections: Orthoptera, Dictyoptera, Dermaptera, Phasmids and “Small Orders”...