Photo: Andrew Waits
The Arachnology and Entomology Collection at the Burke Museum includes nearly 350,000 specimens of non-mollusc invertebrates, with collections of international, regional and historical importance. Geographic strengths are Washington state and far eastern Russia. To learn more about each subcollection cared for and accessible through the Burke, see the listings below. There is currently no online searchable collection database for Arachnology and Entomology.
For questions about the collections that are not answered below, contact one of the curatorial associates on the People and Contact page.
Collection Details
Highlight: 2nd largest collection of spiders on the West Coast, largest collection of Washington spiders anywhere, largest collection of Russian spiders in North America
The spider collection makes up roughly 50% of the section's total holdings (over 160,000 specimens). Geographic strengths are Washington, Alaska and far eastern Russia, with some worldwide representation. Collections are curated, catalogued and available for study. New material is added almost daily.
Highlight: Best representation of Washington butterflies in any collection
The butterfly and moth collections include over 35,000 specimens and are particularly strong in Washington material; but there is significant worldwide representation. Curation of currently unmounted material is in progress. The collection is available for study, but mounted butterflies are difficult to ship.
The arachnid collection includes over 13,000 specimens of non-spider orders. It is especially strong in harvestmen, with some worldwide representation. The harvestman collection is catalogued, available for study, and expanding.
A representative collection of primarily Pacific Northwest cave invertebrates, especially arthropods. The collection is fully curated and available for study, but not yet catalogued.
6,500 curated centipedes and millipedes, mostly identified, mainly from the Pacific Northwest. Available for study but difficult to ship due to storage method.
The isopod crustacean collection includes about 12,000 specimens and is expanding. The collection's core is the Melville H. Hatch material used in "Isopoda of Washington." Material is predominantly from Washington. It is all curated and available for study, but not yet catalogued.
This is primarily the Luther C. Altman collection of 2,500 specimens used for "Oligochaeta of Washington", partly fluid-preserved but primarily slide-mounted as serial sections. Altman was a superb histologist and his slides are works of art. This collection has been in high demand by researchers in several countries.
The Charles H. Lavers, Jr. collection of North American aquatic mites, donated by his widow after Lavers' untimely death, was the basis of "The Species of Arrenurus of the State of Washington" but includes unstudied material. It is divided between slide-mounted and glycerin-preserved specimens. Uncatalogued, but available for study at least in part.
Our collection of 1,040 slide-mounted fleas primarily from the Pacific Northwest originated with a "synoptic" donation by C. Andresen Hubbard and has miscellaneous additions, including the former collection of Walla Walla College. Includes paratypes; available for study.
Our collection of this group of microscopic metazoans is entirely slide-mounted. The roughly 600 specimens were prepared by Eloise Kuntz for her thesis on "The Rotatoria of Washington." The collection will have significant historical importance to future researchers.
These near-microscopic soil hexapods (formerly considered insects) are all slide-mounted. The roughly 50 specimens were formerly deposited at Walla Walla College. Protura are so seldom seen that even this small collection may be of interest to future researchers.
From 1981-1987 the terrain sterilized by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens (and nearby control sites) was studied by a UW team under a large grant, monitoring arachnids and insects migrating in and, in some cases, colonizing the greatly altered habitats. This material (at least 40,000 specimens) is currently in the process of being converted from bulk storage to a research-ready collection.