Odonata of the Montana Entomology Collection, Montana State University

Odonata is an ancient order of insects recognized by aquatic nymphs and the impressively agile flight of adults. The Montana Entomology Collection (MTEC) houses a large collection of Odonata, comprising over 10,000 individual specimens preserved in ethanol or dry in envelopes. MTEC received funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources “Hidden Collections” grant to digitize its Odonata specimens. This produced over 4500 records detailing sampling localities, collecting dates, number of individuals, and identifications of 145 species of dragonflies and damselflies collected mainly from the state of Montana. Digitization also revealed that during the past 120 years over 80 collectors contributed specimens, with a majority of the material collected by the aquatic entomologist Daniel L. Gustafson.