The Odonata collection of the Nationale Museum of Natural History, Washington, U.S.A

It is estimated that there are around 75,000 specimens in the collection housed in 13 herbarium cabinets for the enveloped material and 302 insect drawers for the pinned material. 190 genera and 1131 species of Zygoptera, and 234 and 1269 species of Anisoptera are represented in total. In all, 424 genera and 2400 species. Using the total numbers of species listed in 1984-85 by D. A. L. DAVIES and P. TOBIN ( Soc. int. odonatol. rapid Comm. (Suppl.) 3 and 5) these counts translate into exactly 49% of the Zygoptera and 50% of the Anisoptera species. Primary types of 96 species are preserved, of which 42 are Zygoptera and 54 are Anisoptera.