‘Goliath’ beetle exhibit showcases biodiversity
In early 2024, MJ Paulsen received a phone call: Michael Ritterbrown was sorting through his late mother’s possessions in Wyoming and wasn’t sure what to do with her extensive natural history collection, for which she’d left no instructions. Nova was an excellent amateur botanist, but her late husband Ron Young collected scarab beetles, which led Ritterbrown to the University of Nebraska State Museum’s website and wondering if it would be interested.
“Ninety drawers of beetles. Yes, yes, that’s exactly what we do here, and I’d love to have them,” Paulsen, curator of the museum’s entomology collection, told Ritterbrown.
“It’s just lucky that the family cared enough to be, like, this should go somewhere,” Paulsen said. “Really passionate amateurs are where we get a lot of our specimens.”
The Youngs are among the donors behind the State Museum’s new exhibit “Goliaths,” which features the world’s heavyweight insects and their relatives, other flower chafers and scarabs. On the third floor of Morrill Hall, the exhibit features more than 1,000 specimens, in spectacular colors and many sporting horns. The exhibit also includes digital and hands-in components.
Ninety drawers of beetles. Yes, yes, that’s exactly what we do here, and I’d love to have them.
MJ Paulsen
The 4,000 or so species of flower chafers are diverse and found nearly worldwide. They’re also widely misunderstood. As fierce as they might appear, they’re harmless to humans, and many are beneficial pollinators. In some Asian countries, they’re favorite pets.
In addition to wowing museum visitors, collections like these are a boon for students studying entomology, Paulsen said. These beetles play a key role in biodiversity, so it’s critical to study them, both to understand their evolutionary past and also their future conservation needs.
Morrill Hall long has been known as a leader in scarab research, Paulsen said. What’s on display is just the tip of the iceberg of the millions of specimens in the museum’s insect collections.
Other donors to the Goliaths exhibit are Alex and Christi Reifschneider. The exhibit is sponsored by Latta and Perry Branch, Mark and Diann Sorensen and UNL’s Department of Entomology.