The Osborne Insect Collection

The collection consists of over 10,000 specimens of beetles.

Photograph of a museum case containing specimens of beetles.

The Osborne Insect Collection forms a valuable resource for research in ecology and Quaternary entomology. 

It consists of over 10,000 specimens of identified species of Coleoptera (beetles), most of which are labelled as to where and when they were collected.

The core of the collection was accumulated by Peter Osborne, one of the founders of Quaternary entomology, whilst he worked at Oxford and later in the now-defunct Quaternary Laboratory in the Department of Geology at the University of Birmingham.

Photograph of four Musk Beetles (Moschata) pinned in a display case. They are large and have iridescent blue-green bodies.

It was then acquired by Dr Paul Buckland, in Geography at Birmingham, before being moved to Sheffield and more recently to the University of Edinburgh, where it is currently being re-housed in a more commodious cabinet provided by the Natural History Museum. 

The Collection has been extended by several researchers, including the late Dr Peter Skidmore, and has been supplemented by material collected in the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and northern Scandinavia as a result of several research projects, largely funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

Photograph showing a gloved hand opening a wooden museum case drawer with a glass top. It containing specimens of beetles.

A full list of species included in the Osborne Collection is in preparation and will be made available on this site. The importance of the collection as a national resource is recognised and it can be consulted by arrangement with Dr Eva Panagiotakopulu.

The Osborne Collection is hosted within the Quaternary Entomology Lab.

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