Melville Hatch Beetle Collection

The Melville Harrison Hatch Beetle Collection is not formally a 'separate' collection at OSAC. However, because of its size and the importance of Dr. Hatch and his works for Coleopterology of the Pacific Northwest, we felt it was appropriate that it be designated a special collection.

Dr. Hatch's collection arrived at OSU as part of a larger collection of insects being brought to OSU from the Univeristy of Washington in the late 1970's early 1980's. Dr. Hatch's beetle collection, estimated at approximately 500,000 specimens more than doubled the existing beetle collection at OSAC.

The collection arrived in hundreds of wooden Schmidt boxes, where they remained for years, as OSAC sought the time, resources and supplies to properly integrate the beetles into our system of California Academy drawers and unit trays. Even though the specimens are now all housed in trays and drawers, they have not been properly inventoried or curated. To most quickly get the collection out of Schmidt boxes and save space, multiple determined species were commonly placed into a single unit tray - something that would generally not occur.

OSAC has sought substantial NSF support to properly curate this collection so as to increase the availability of this valuable collection.