Collections are more than repositories of specimens — they are engines of discovery that preserve biodiversity, raise new questions and inform conservation and evolutionary studies.
Collections as data
We combine hands-on work in entomological collections with digitization and data integration, so that specimens and their information are widely accessible. High-resolution imaging, structured metadata and interoperable databases make global collaboration possible and connect specimens with phylogenetic, ecological and morphological datasets.
Databases we build
We develop and manage databases such as the World Ichneumonidae Database (WID) and Syrphidae of Italy (SoI), which supports collaborative taxonomy, ontology-based annotation and biodiversity analyses — and is now a publisher in GBIF.
At the Enns Entomology Museum we are digitizing Missouri’s insect collection in TaxonWorks and sharing specimens, images and data online.
Why it matters
Through this work we want to show collections for what they are: strategic, data-driven resources, essential for taxonomy, conservation, evolutionary biology and understanding global biodiversity patterns.