The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology (Zoologische Staatssammlung München, ZSM) collection of butterflies and moths actually includes about 6,000,000-7,000,000 specimens, representing 80,000-100,000 species, stored in about 50,000 drawers. Many other private collections have already been donated to the ZSM, but are currently still under the curation of the private owners. Further 2,000,000-3,000,000 specimens (museum Thomas Witt) are associated - as a public foundation – to the state collections, and are professionally curated by a scientist (Dr. W. Speidel). Hence, this association of Lepidoptera collections in Munich is by far the largest collection of butterflies and moths in Germany, and also on international scale it is one of the most outstanding and important collections. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
Witt Museum, also known in the literature under the abbreviation MWM, has been established in 1980 by Thomas J. WITT to study moths (Heterocera), "Bombyces and Sphinges" as defined in the work of SEITZ. The representative specialized collection of Lepidoptera families, comprising about 2,5 – 3 million specimens from all over the world, form the basis of this privately donated institute. The growing crew of specialists of many nations, including corresponding scientists and colleagues, is now busyly maintaining, evaluating and studying the research material. Results of this activity are constantly published in internationally known journals, book series and separate articles. The continuously supplemented research library contains now more than thousand textbooks along with about 20.000 research related reprints, letters, maps and manuscripts from about 450 journals, which can be readily accessed. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
Jones' 'Icones' is one of the most beautiful and scientifically important early works on butterfly and moth (Lepidoptera) collections found in Britain. Completed in the late 18th century by a relatively unknown amateur entomologist, William Jones of Chelsea, the 'Icones' is a six volume manuscript of paintings and descriptions representing over 760 Lepidoptera species from around the world. While its beauty is immediately apparent, its importance as a snapshot of insect collecting at a time in history when many of these species where first being described is what makes Jones' 'Icones' a true treasure of the history natural history.Flying Icons: The Collection of William Jones of Chelsea (1745-1818):This website is the result of a project at Oxford University Museum of Natural History called 'Flying Icons'. Since the Museum was given Jones' 'Icones', and a related archive of material in the 1920's, many individuals and organisations have sought to have this unpublished masterpiece made more widely available. After over 150 years of trying to publish this remarkable work, this has now been accomplished. ... [Information of the supplier]
