Research Collections of the Zoological Institute RAS — Black Flies (Simuliidae)

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The collection on black flies (Diptera family of real-life impact) of Zoological institute RAS is one of the biggest in the world.

Thu uniqueness of the collection is due to the fact that it contains extensive amount of Palearctic species. There are holotypes of the majority of family species described from former USSR territory.

In total, the collection contains several million of blackflies of more than 300 species. The collection consists of the following major parts:

  1. imago, larva and pupa slides on object plates (approximately 30000 slides, mainly in Canadian balm);
  2. dried mounted imago items (approximately 25000 items);
  3. test-tube material: imago, larva and pupa items in alcohol (approximately 30000 test-tubes, several million items).

The collection contains holotypes of more than 120 species described by 20 famous specialists in blackfly systematics: E.I Vorobets, L.A. Ivaschenko, E.A. Kachvoryan, N.A. Petrova, I.A. Rubtsov, A.E. Terteryan, L.A. Chubareva, A.V. Yankovsky. Holotypes of the majority of species are slides kept in canadian balm and pinned insects.

The majority of items were collected by I.A. Rubtsov and mounted by A.A. Ilyina. Apart from the samples personally collected by I.A. Rubtsov and A.V Yankovsky, considerable amount of items were obtained from K.N. Beltyukova (Permsky Krai), D.I. Blagoveshchenskiy (Khabarovskiy kray), E.I. Vorobets (Yakutiya), M.P. Gnedina (Moskovskaya oblast'), Sh.M. Dzhafarov (Caucasus), L.A. Zhil'tsova (Caucasus), V.D. Patrusheva (Western Siberia), L.N. Solovkina (Komi), Z.V. Ussova (Karelia and Murmansk oblast') and many other parasitologists, enthomoligists and hydrobiologists.

This material originates from the majority of regions of Russia and countries of former USSR. In addition, some slides, pinned items and alcohol material was obtained via exchange from USA, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Check republic , Iran and many other countries.

The collection is regularly refilled by samples collected by ZIN RAS researches and material obtained from other organizations (some items are received via exchange).

 

Collection Curator

Dr. Sergey Aibulatov, Researcher of the Laboratory of Parasitic Arthropods

E-mail: Sergei.Aibulatov@zin.ru
Tel.: +7 (812) 328-06-11, ext. 229
Laboratory of Parasitic Arthropods, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences
199034, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Universitetskaya nab., 1

 

Photos of specimens and related materials made by S.V. Aibulatov.