Short Description
The Hymenoptera collection of the Natural History Museum consists of more than one million specimens, mostly in the form of a dry collection and to a lesser extent in the form of alcohol specimens and microscope slides, consisting of both historical and recently collected material from all biogeographical regions of the world. Among them are several thousand type specimens. The objects serve scientists from various disciplines, such as systematics, evolution or ecology, as a basis for their research.
Contact Person
Dr. Dominique Zimmermann
Research Services
Visiting researchers have access to the collection and library, as well as suitable technical equipment. A stacking photography equipment of the department can also be used. If necessary, curators provide support on nature conservation and educational issues. Species inventories of the collection can be viewed via the collection homepage.
Methods & Expertise for Research Infrastructure
In the Hymenoptera Collection of NHM diverse questions concerning faunistics, evolution and phylogeny of hymenoptera are investigated. Specific research topics are on the one hand studies on changes in the distribution of wild bees and digger wasps in eastern Austria, Hymenoptera in urban areas, species inventories of selected habitats, and on the other hand studies on the head anatomy of stinging wasps using microcomputer tomographic scans and histological sections to clarify evolutionary and phylogenetic questions.
Allocation to research infrastructure
2. Zoologische Abteilung (Entomologie), Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
Zimmermann D., Wiesbauer H., Schoder S., Schuh R., Sehnal P., Zettel H. (2018): Wiederentdeckung der sozialen Knotenwespe Cerceris rubida (Jurine, 1807) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) in Österreich, mit Angaben zur Biologie. Beiträge zur Entomofaunistik 19: 111–120.
Zettel H., Zimmermann D., Wiesbauer H. (2017): Die Hautflüglerfauna (Hymenoptera) des Lainzer Tiergartens in Wien: 1. Bienen (Apidae). Beit räge zur Entomofaunist ik 18: 69–91.
Zimmermann D. (2016): Oryttus concinnus (Rossi, 1790) – eine für Österreich neue Grabwespenart und -gattung. Oryttus concinnus (Rossi, 1790) – a digger wasp species and genus new for Austria. Beiträge zur Entomofaunistik 17: 135-138.
Zimmermann D. & Vilhelmsen L. (2016): The sister group of Aculeatues - evidence from internal head anatomy, with emphasis on the tentorium. Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny 74: 195-218.
https://www.senckenberg.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/05_asp_74_2_zimmermann_195-218.pdf
Laciny A., Zettel H., Pal A. & Zimmermann D. (2016): The ant genus Pristomyrmex (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums B 118: 61-72.
Vilhelmsen L. B. & Zimmermann D. (2014): Baltorussus total makeover: rejuvenation and sex change in an ancient parasitoid wasp lineage. PLoS ONE 9 (6): e98412. http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098412
Zettel, H., Zimmermann, D. & Wiesbauer H. (2013): Die Bienen und Grabwespen (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) im Donaupark in Wien (Österreich). Sabulosi 3:1-23.
http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/jart/prj3/nhm/data/uploads/mitarbeiter_dokumente/zimmermann/Sabulosi-3.pdf
Zettel H., Zimmermann D. (2007): On the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Philippine Islands: II. The genus Forelophilus KUTTER, 1931. Asian Myrmecology 1, 19-30.