Entomology

Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον

[1]
(entomon) 'insect', and -λογία (-logia) 'study') is the
scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past
the term insect was less specific, and historically the
definition of entomology would also include the study of
animals in other arthropod groups, such as arachnids,
myriapods, and crustaceans. This wider meaning may still
be encountered in informal use.

Like several of the other fields that are categorized within

zoology, entomology is a taxon-based category; any form
of scientific study in which there is a focus on insect-
related inquiries is, by definition, entomology. Entomology,
therefore, overlaps with a cross-section of topics as diverse
as molecular genetics, behavior, neuroscience,
biomechanics, biochemistry, systematics, physiology,
developmental biology, ecology, morphology, and
paleontology.

Over 1.3 million insect species have been described, more

than two-thirds of all known species.[2] Some insect
species date back to around 400 million years ago. They
have many kinds of interactions with humans and other Diversity of insects from different orders
forms of life on Earth.

History
Entomology is rooted in nearly all human cultures from prehistoric times, primarily in the context of
agriculture (especially biological control and beekeeping). The natural philosopher Pliny the Elder (23–79
CE) wrote a book on the kinds of insects,[3] while the scientist of Kufa, Ibn al-A'rābī (760–845 CE) wrote a
book on flies, Kitāb al-Dabāb (‫)كتاب الذباب‬. However scientific study in the modern sense began only
relatively recently, in the 16th century.[4] Ulisse Aldrovandi's De Animalibus Insectis (Concerning Insect
Animals) was published in 1602. Microscopist Jan Swammerdam published History of Insects, correctly
describing the reproductive organs of insects and metamorphosis.[5] In 1705, Maria Sibylla Merian
published the book Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium about the tropical insects of Dutch
Surinam.[6]

Early entomological works associated with the naming and classification of species followed the practice of
maintaining cabinets of curiosity, predominantly in Europe. This collecting fashion led to the formation of
natural history societies, exhibitions of private collections, and journals for recording communications and
the documentation of new species. Many of the collectors tended to be from the aristocracy, and there
developed a trade involving collectors around the world and traders. This has been called the "era of heroic
entomology." William Kirby is widely considered as the father of entomology in England. In collaboration
with William Spence, he published a definitive entomological encyclopedia, Introduction to Entomology,
regarded as the subject's foundational text. He also helped found the Royal Entomological Society in
London in 1833, one of the earliest such societies in the world; earlier antecedents, such as the Aurelian
society date back to the 1740s. In the late 19th century, the growth
of agriculture, and colonial trade spawned the "era of economic
entomology" which created the professional entomologist
associated with the rise of the university and training in the field of
biology.[7][8]

Entomology developed rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries and

was studied by large numbers of people, including such notable
figures as Charles Darwin, Jean-Henri Fabre, Vladimir Nabokov,
Karl von Frisch (winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine),[9] and twice Pulitzer Prize winner E. O. Wilson.

There has also been a history of people becoming entomologists

through museum curation and research assistance,[10] such as
Sophie Lutterlough at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural
History. Insect identification is an increasingly common hobby, with
butterflies and dragonflies being the most popular.
Plate from Transactions of the
Most insects can easily be allocated to order, such as Hymenoptera Entomological Society, 1848
(bees, wasps, and ants) or Coleoptera (beetles). However,
identifying to genus or species is usually only possible through the
use of identification keys and monographs. Because the class
Insecta contains a very large number of species (over 330,000
species of beetles alone) and the characteristics distinguishing them
are unfamiliar, and often subtle (or invisible without a microscope),
this is often very difficult even for a specialist. This has led to the
development of automated species identification systems targeted
on insects, for example, Daisy, ABIS, SPIDA and Draw-wing.

In pest control
In 1994, the Entomological Society of America launched a new
professional certification program for the pest control industry
called the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE). To qualify as a
"true entomologist" an individual would normally require an
advanced degree, with most entomologists pursuing a PhD. While These 100 Trigonopterus species
not true entomologists in the traditional sense, individuals who were described simultaneously using
attain the ACE certification may be referred to as ACEs or DNA barcoding.
Associate Certified Entomologists.

As such, there are also other credential programs managed by the Entomological Society of America, that
have varying credential requirements. These other programs, are known as Public Health Entomology
(PHE), Certified IPM Technicians (CITs), and Board Certified Entomologists (BCEs) (ESA Certification
Corporation). To be qualified in Public Health Entomology (PHE), one must succeed in passing an exam,
that refers to the types of arthropods that have the capability, of being able to spread diseases and lead to
medical complications (ESA Certification Corporation). Along with this, these individuals also have to
"agree to ascribe to a code of ethical behavior" (ESA Certification Corporation). Individuals who are
planning to become Certified IPM Technicians (CITs), need to obtain at around 1-4 years of experience in
pest management and successfully pass an exam, that is based on the information, that they are acquainted
with (ESA Certification Corporation). Like in Public Health Entomology (PHE), those who want to
become Certified IPM Technicians (CITs), also have to "agree to ascribe to a code of ethical behavior"
(ESA Certification Corporation). Additionally, these individuals have to be approved on being able to use
pesticides (ESA Certification Corporation). In respects to those, who plan on becoming Board Certified
Entomologists (BCEs), these individuals have to pass two exams and "agree to ascribe to a code of ethical
behavior" (ESA Certification Corporation). As with this, they also have to fulfill a certain amount of
educational requirements, every 12 months (ESA Certification Corporation).[11]

Subdisciplines
Many entomologists specialize in a single order or even a family of
insects, and a number of these subspecialties are given their own
informal names, typically (but not always) derived from the
scientific name of the group:

Coleopterology – beetles
Dipterology – flies
Odonatology – dragonflies and damselflies
Example of a collection barcode on a
Hemipterology – true bugs
pinned beetle specimen
Isopterology – termites
Lepidopterology – moths and butterflies
Melittology (or Apiology) – bees
Myrmecology – ants
Orthopterology – grasshoppers, crickets, etc.
Trichopterology – caddisflies
Vespology – social wasps

Entomologists

Organizations
Like other scientific specialties, entomologists have a number of local, national, and international
organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas.

Amateur Entomologists' Society

Entomological Society of America
Entomological Society of Canada
Entomological Society of Japan
Entomologischer Verein Krefeld
Entomological Society of India[12]
International Union for the Study of Social Insects
Netherlands Entomological Society
Royal Belgian Entomological Society
Royal Entomological Society of London
Russian Entomological Society
Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut
Société entomologique de France
Australian Entomological Society[13]
 Entomological Society of New Zealand[14]

Research collection
Here is a list of selected very large insect collections, housed in
museums, universities, or research institutes.

Asia
Zoological Survey of India
Insect Museum, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, Indian
Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
Pakistan Museum of Natural History Garden Avenue,
Shakarparian, Islamabad, Pakistan
Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Indonesia

Africa
Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa[15] Several prominent American
entomologists of the 1800s

Australasia
Lincoln University Entomology Research Collection,
Lincoln, New Zealand
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa,
Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand Arthropod Collection, Landcare Research
Manaaki Whenua, Auckland, New Zealand

Europe The Entomology Research Collection

at Lincoln University, New Zealand,
Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Zoologische with curator John Marris
Staatssammlung München
Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona,
Spain
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, France
Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany
Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
Natural History Museum, Budapest Hungarian Natural History Museum[16]
Natural History Museum, Geneva[17]
Natural History Museum, Leiden, the Netherlands
Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
Natural History Museum, Oslo[18] Norway
 Natural History Museum, St. Petersburg Zoological Collection of the Russian Academy of
Science
Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford[19]
Royal Museum for Central Africa, Brussels, Belgium
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
World Museum Liverpool, the Bug House

United States
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
American Museum of Natural History, New York City
Auburn University Museum of Natural History,[20] Auburn, Alabama
Audubon Insectarium, New Orleans
Bohart Museum of Entomology, Davis, California
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
Carnegie Museum of Natural History,[21] Pittsburgh
Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland
Entomology Research Museum, University of California, Riverside
Essig Museum of Entomology, Berkeley, California
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois
J. Gordon Edwards Museum, San Jose, California
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
New Mexico State University Arthropod Museum[22]
North Carolina State University Insect Museum, Raleigh, North Carolina
Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, Connecticut
San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, California
The National Museum of Play, Rochester, New York
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
University of Minnesota, St. Paul campus (UMSP), Minnesota
University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas
University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska
University of Missouri Enns Entomology Museum,[23] University of Missouri, Columbia,
Missouri

Canada
Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes,[24] Ottawa, Ontario
E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum,[25] University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
 Lyman Entomological Museum,[26] Macdonald Campus of McGill University, Sainte-Anne-
de-Bellevue, Quebec
Montreal Insectarium, Montreal, Quebec
Newfoundland Insectarium, Reidville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, Alberta
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
University of Guelph Insect Collection,[27] Guelph, Ontario
Victoria Bug Zoo,[28] Victoria, British Columbia
J. B. Wallis / R. E. Roughley Museum of Entomology,[29] Winnipeg, Manitoba

See also
Biology portal

Insects portal

Arachnology Insects on stamps

Carcinology List of entomological journals
Cultural entomology Medical entomology
Ethnoentomology Myriapodology
Forensic entomology Timeline of entomology – 1800–1850
Forensic entomologist Timeline of entomology – 1850–1900
Forensic entomology and the law Timeline of entomology since 1900
Insect thermoregulation

References
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United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
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ve.loc.gov/all/20090519170802/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/publication
s/other/species%2Dnumbers/index.html) (2 ed.). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources
Study. pp. 60pp. ISBN 978-0-642-56850-2. Archived from the original (http://www.deh.gov.au/
biodiversity/abrs/publications/other/species-numbers/index.html) on 2009-05-19. Retrieved
2007-10-26.
3. Naturalis Historia (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A199
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4. Antonio Saltini, Storia delle scienze agrarie, 4 vols, Bologna 1984–89, ISBN 88-206-2412-5,
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5. "Entomology" (https://www.britannica.com/science/entomology). Encyclopaedia Britannica.
6. Kristensen, Niels P. (1999). "Historical Introduction". In Kristensen, Niels P. (ed.).
Lepidoptera, moths and butterflies: Evolution, Systematics and Biogeography. Volume 4,
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8. Clark, John F.M. (2009). Bugs and the Victorians (https://books.google.com/books?id=Bq05e
cMx-owC&pg=PA27). Yale University Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN 978-0300150919.
9. "Karl von Frisch – Nobel Lecture: Decoding the Language of the Bee" (http://nobelprize.org/
medicine/laureates/1973/frisch-lecture.html).
10. Starrs, Siobhan (10 August 2010). "A Scientist and a Tinkerer – A Story in a Frame" (https://w
eb.archive.org/web/20170319195756/http://nmnh.typepad.com/100years/2010/08/a-scientist
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12. Entomological Society of India (http://www.entosocindia.org)
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14. Entomological Society of New Zealand (https://ento.org.nz/)
15. "KwaZulu-Natal Museum" (http://www.nmsa.org.za).
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23. "Enns Entomology Museum, MU" (http://www.museum.insecta.missouri.edu/).
24. "Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids, and Nematodes – Homepage" (http://w
ww.canacoll.org/).
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Life Sciences" (http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/facilities/strickland/).
26. "Lyman Entomological Museum" (http://lyman.mcgill.ca/).
27. "University of Guelph Insect Collection" (http://www.uoguelph.ca/debu/). uoguelph.ca.
Retrieved 20 April 2015.
28. "The Victoria Bug Zoo TM" (https://web.archive.org/web/20141219174606/http://www.bugzo
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29. "J. B. Wallis / R. E. Roughley Museum of Entomology | Faculty of Agricultural and Food
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Further reading
Capinera, JL (editor). 2008.
Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd "I suppose you are an entomologist?"
Edition. Springer. ISBN 1-4020-6242-7
What does a entomologist study? (http://imf
Chiang, H.C. and G. C. Jahn 1996. eelingpuzzled.com/2017/05/27/what-does-
Entomology in the Cambodia-IRRI- a-entomologist-study/)
Australia Project. (in Chinese) Chinese
Entomol. Soc. Newsltr. (Taiwan) 3: 9– "Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to
11. put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
Davidson, E. 2006. Big Fleas Have No man can be truly called an entomologist, sir; the
Little Fleas: How Discoveries of subject is too vast for any single human intelligence
Invertebrate Diseases Are Advancing to grasp."
Modern Science University of Arizona
Press, Tucson, 208 pages, ISBN 0-
8165-2544-7. —Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., The Poet at the
Gillot, Cedric. Entomology. Second Breakfast Table.
Edition, Plenum Press, New York, NY /
London 1995, ISBN 0-306-44967-6.
Grimaldi, D. & Engel, M.S. (2005). Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 0-521-82149-5.
Triplehorn, Charles A. and Norman F. Johnson (2005-05-19). Borror and DeLong's
Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, Thomas Brooks/Cole. ISBN 0-03-096835-6.
— a classic textbook in North America.
Wale, Matthew. Making Entomologists: How Periodicals Shaped Scientific Communities in
Nineteenth-Century Britain (U of Pittsburgh Press, 2022) online book review (http://www.h-ne
t.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=58756)

External links

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