Preservation conditions and improvements of primary type specimens in the insect museum, NARO, Japan

Abstract

The insect museum, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Japan, houses one of the largest collections of insect specimens in Asia, including primary type specimens. Institutions responsible for preserving and managing primary type specimens are mandated to take all possible measures to ensure their safe preservation. However, the insect museum had been preserving primary type specimens in outdated specimen boxes, posing a risk to the preservation of important specimens. Therefore, this study aimed to improve the management and safety of primary type specimens at the insect museum by transitioning to a recent specimen management system, utilizing unit trays in specimen boxes. This paper reports the results of this transition process and discusses the significance of employing the insect management system utilizing unit trays for managing valuable specimens such as primary type specimens.