Entomology Studio
“Then we gather, as we travel,
Bits of moss and dirty gravel,
And we chip off little specimens of stone;
And we carry home as prizes
Funny bugs of handy sizes,
Just to give the day a scientific tone.”
Charles Edward Carryl (1841-1920), American businessman and poet
‘Entomology’ is the study of insects. This imaginary studio is based on “cabinets of curiosities” or wonder rooms that existed before museums. Objects and artefacts collected from all over the world were displayed in cabinets or entire rooms for wealthy people to enjoy. This studio is a fusion of art and science, old and new objects from Manchester Museum’s entomology stores.
A dried inflorescence of the Traveller Tree (Ravenalla madagascarensis), a plant closely related to the banana. The plant grows to 10 metres. Its dried stems are used in house building. The common name is said to have been because the overlapping leaf bases collect and store water.
Manchester Museum.
A modern aerial net for collecting butterflies. Read more here.
A beating tray for collecting insects from branches and twigs (opened in a working position on the left and folded on the right). The tray is held under a tree/shrub and the twigs/branches are then shaken. Invertebrates fall from the foliage and land on the cloth, from where they can be collected by a researcher. Read more here.
Priam’s Birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) is a widespread swallowtail butterfly species in Australasia, in places such as New Guinea, the Moluccas and northern Australia. The female is markedly larger than the male, with dark brown wings. Read more here.
Manchester Museum.
A museum cabinet for keeping microscopic slides.
Manchester museum.
Trunk of the Carnauba Wax Palm (Copernicia prunifera) from Brazil. Read more here.
Nests of tropical wasps.
An old-fashioned educational set representing some butterflies form India. In the 1980s, such sets were used by the Manchester Museum’s Educational Team for outreach programmes and external educational loans.
Manchester Museum.
An educational display box showing life stages of the Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata). The species is widespread and common in the UK, found near fruit, meat, rubbish dumps, faeces and dead animals. Larvae (maggots) have antibacterial properties and are used in treatment of wound infections (=maggot therapy). Read more here and here.
Manchester Museum.
Portrait of Harry Britten (1870-1954), one of the greatest British entomologists. He was the second Keeper of Entomology at the Manchester Museum who was primarily responsible for building up the bulk of the extensive museum collection of British insects of almost all orders.
Glass vials with samples of millipedes (Diplopoda) and centipedes (Chilopoda) from the collection of the Manchester Museum.
An educational display box showing the life cycle of a longhorn beetle (family Cerambicidae). Longhorn beetles are characterized by extremely long antennae that could be longer than the body length. Their larvae are wood-borers. Read more here.
Manchester Museum.
Zebra Mantis Shrimp (Lysiosquillina maculata), found from western Indian Ocean to Hawaii and Galapagos. Lives in monogamous pairs in u-shaped burrows excavated in the sand at depth range 0-20 m in. Spends the daytime in its burrow, hunts at night. They have very powerful claws that can crush shells. See here for more information.
Manchester Museum.
Five-horned Rhinoceros Beetle (Eupatorus gracillicornis), native to South-East Asia. Read more here.
Manchester Museum.
Small cages used for the transporting (two in front) and keeping (two at the back) of grasshoppers and crickets in China; the former for singing, the latter for fighting. This tradition dates back to at least the 12th century. Read more here.
Manchester Museum.
Madagascan Sunset Moth (Chrysiridia rhipheus), a day-flying moth that is considered one of the most impressive and appealing-looking lepidopterans. Native to Madagascar. Read more here.
Manchester Museum.
Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis), one of the World's 100 worst invasive species. This is the first specimen of this crab collected from Ribble Estuary, Lancashire, in 2007. See here for a full story.
Manchester Museum.
Two jars from the University of Manchester’s Materia Medica collection. Pharmacy students in the 19th and early 20th centuries used these to learn how to prepare medicines. The Chinese Blister Beetle (Mylabris phalerata), on the left, was used in traditional Chinese medicine under the name ‘Mylabris’ (dried beetle bodies) for over 2,000 years to treat against tumors, carbuncle, scrofula, and many other diseases. The Spanish Fly (Cantharis vesicatoria), on the right, is the source of ‘Cantharides’ which could be a remedy for cystitis, gastritis and other diseases. In both cases, the active, toxic component is cantharidin.
Manchester Museum.
Plastic vials with samples of preserved spiders from the collection of the Manchester Museum.
An educational display box showing life stages of the pyralid moth (Aphomia bipunctatus).
Manchester Museum.
An educational display box showing the development of different casts of the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris). Widespread and common throughout Britain. Usually forms large colonies below ground, but occasionally nests may be made in wall cavities, hollow trees and attics. Read more here and here.
Manchester Museum.
A decorative box with plastic insect models.
Glass jar with a plastic model of European mistletoe (Viscum album ), a parasitic plant of the order Santalales.
A resin model of the Pill Bug (Armadillidium vulgare), a common and widespread British woodlouse. Read more here.
A resin model of the male Common Glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca), a common and widespread British beetle. The beetle name is due to the appearance of the females which look like larvae (“worms”). They are most noticeable at night in June and July when they lights up to attract the males. Read more here.
Small collection sets with four flea species and their photos.
Manchester Museum.
Cocoons and raw silk of the Domestic Silk Moth (Bombyx mori), the moth whose caterpillars have been used in silk production (sericulture) for thousands of years. Read more here and here.
Manchester Museum.
Setting board for mounting butterflies and other winged insects.
Manchester Museum.
Old-fashioned magnifying glass.
Manchester Museum.
Old-fashioned insect examination stage, with a cork end for attaching the specimen.
Manchester Museum.