Entomology Collection/Odonata
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Order Odonata - dragonflies and damselflies
The core of the Odonata material was collected in the 1960s and 1970s by Gustavus professors Charles Hamrum, Myron Anderson, Lee Miller and their students. Their combined efforts lead to the publication of several significant papers on the distribution of dragonfly species in Minnesota. Two dragonfly genera in particular were targeted by these researchers, the whitefaces (genus Leucorrhina) and the meadowhawks (genus Sympetrum), and comprise the bulk of the collection. There are significant specimens of some of the least common Minnesota Odonata species, including several state records. There are also significant local series of specimens from the St. Peter area spanning some fifty years, due to ongoing contributions from entomology students. The oldest specimens in the collection date from the 1920s.
In addition to the main collection of Minnesota material, there is a small amount of material from other states, from Mexico, and from Negros, Philippines.
In 2012, the Minnesota Odonata Survey Project (MOSP), under the direction of Kurt Mead, visited the collection. Species determinations and MOSP barcodes were added to many specimens. The information from these specimens was then entered into the MOSP database. The MOSP data can be accessed through Odonata Central database.