Our Entomological Collection
The entomological collection mainly contains insects from the Erzgebirge, foreland of the Erzgebirge and the Vogtland. The assemblage of the local collections allows a comprehensive overview about the development of the local insects over the past 150 years. Thus, it provides fundamentals to evaluate today´s environmental conditions.
The collection consists of 21 subcollections. They counts up to 150,000 single specimens in 806 showcases. Another 340 showcases contain descriptions of life history and habitats of indigenous insects, as well as tropical insects and additional pieces of the fauna of the Erzgebirge. The collection is complemented by models, teaching material and anatomical specimen. All together, the collection contains more than 210,000 single specimens with 1,271 accession numbers.
The collection of butterflies (Lepidoptera) is currently under scientific investigation and systematic reorganisation.
The initial inventory consists of our oldest collections from Paul Meyer (Palaearctic Lepidoptera), Paul Trübsbach (1872-1948; Palaearctic Lepidoptera) and Woldemar Heinitz (1874-1946; all orders but Lepidoptera).
Popular collectors such as Reinhold Krieger (1898-1978; all orders but Lepidoptera, teaching material), Dr. Gerhard Büttner (1921-1985; beetles (Coleoptera), dipterous insects (Diptera), true bugs (Heteroptera), hymenopterous insects (Hymenoptera)), Konrad Kaufmann (1904-1995; several orders, especially Coleoptera such as Staphylinidae), Clemens Kleindienst (1861-1946; Coleoptera, Diptera, Heteroptera and cicadas (Hemiptera)), Oskar Emil Reinhold Zimmermann (1833-1902; indigenous Lepidoptera), Christoph Cohrs (1864-1946; Heteroptera), Werner Fix (indigenous Colepotera and Lepidoptera), Siegfried Heyner (Coleoptera), Johannes Lohr (1907-1985; indigenous Lepidoptera), Horst Hullmann (born in 1926; several orders), Dr. Schimmer, ants (Formiciden), Helmut Straßburg (1929-2001; palaearctic Lepidoptera), Martin Vierheilig (1938-1989; Lepidoptera), Otto Zabel (indigenous Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera), Erhard Nietzel (1908-1983; 187 mikro preperations of arthropods (Arthropoda)) and Danilo Matzke (born in 1963; earwigs (Dermaptera) and cockroaches (Blattodea)) handed their collections over to the museum.
Since 1992 it is possible to store the collection well-arranged in a shelving-system purpose-built for the museum to make it accessible for revisers. About 20 lendings a year underline the importance of the collection for working on the Saxon fauna and further local faunas.
Originals, belonging to the thesis of Erich Kleinsteuber (1930-1998) complement the collection.
Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz | Moritzstraße 20, 09111Chemnitz
Öffnungszeiten Mo, Di, Do, Fr 9-17 Uhr | Sa, So 10-18 Uhr
www.naturkunde-chemnitz.de | info@naturkunde-chemnitz.de
Tel. 0371 - 488 45 51 | Fax 0371 - 488 45 97