Diptera collections
Formosia moneta, parasitic fly (Tachinidae).
The Natural History Museum's collections of Diptera contains approximately 2.5 million specimens.
The Museum holds collections of International and British Diptera that are stored separately.
International collections
The international collection holds important type material of Diptera, some dating back to the 18th century, most notably of taxa described by Walker, Bigot, Brunetti, Edwards and Austen.
Parts of the world that are particularly well represented are the:
- Europe (except Russia)
- most of sub-Saharan Africa
- the Seychelles
- the Indian subcontinent
- Malesia
- Southern Argentina
- Chile
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Diptera collections management
Discover how the Museum’s Diptera collections are curated.
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Access to the collections
Find out about visiting the Diptera collections and who to contact for further information.
British collections
20th century collections
The British Diptera Collection includes donations from important collectors of the 20th century such as:
- F.W. Edwards
- L. Parmenter
- C.N. Colyer
- O.W. Richards
- E.A. Fonseca
A synoptic British reference collection can be examined in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity.
Diptera research
Learn more about current research at the Museum on forensic entomology, mosquitoes and non-biting midges.
