The mission of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands is to preserve natural environments and places of historic significance for present and future generations of the Cayman Islands. This covers both large and small scale features. Preserving tracts of land in their natural state is very important, but to manage them effectively it is essential to understand exactly what plants and animals are to be found there and what they require for their health and survival. To that end, two collections are being compiled and maintained by the Trust to provide an authoritative scientific reference; the Herbarium and the Insectarium.

In 1938, a student expedition from Oxford University led by W. Gemmell Alexander, made extensive collections of the plant and animal life in the Cayman Islands, including a substantial collection of insects made by C.B. Lewis and G.H. Thompson. Specimens of each major insect group were distributed to specialists and gradually, over the course of the following years, scientific papers were published describing Cayman's insect fauna. Another expedition, jointly sponsored by the Royal Society of London and the Government of the Cayman Islands in 1975, carried out similar work for six weeks, primarily on Little Cayman.

As a result of this pioneering work, it was discovered that the Cayman Islands are particularly rich in species of Dragonflies, Lacewings, aquatic Bugs, Scale Insects, certain Beetle groups, Pyralid Moths and Ants. It is also a fact that a considerable number of Cayman's insects, such as the Cicadas, about 25 different Beetles and a number of True Bugs, are known only from the Cayman Islands. Three-quarters of all the world's described animal species are insects, yet the indications are that this is only a fraction of the insect species that actually exist. Whilst the cataloguing of Cayman's insect fauna still has a long way to go, every time a particular group of insects is studied here, new species are discovered.

In 1993, the Trust laid the foundations for a reference collection of the island's insects, to be developed in Cayman. Previously, scientists studying the island's insects had taken all their preserved specimens away, to be dispersed among museums worldwide. Many specimens identified as unique to Cayman are preserved in London, Washington and New York, but not here!

By acquiring a standard entomological cabinet with glass-covered drawers housed in a steel case designed to store and protect preserved insects, the Trust is encouraging today's insect researchers visiting Cayman to lodge reference material which they have identified in the Insectarium. This then means local scientists and amateur naturalists have ready access to labeled collections of Cayman's native insect life.

Specimens in the Trust's Insectarium now include collections made by several entomologists of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, USA. A number of these experts have remained involved and have returned to the Cayman Islands to continue to work under the Trust's Visiting Scientists Programme. The late Dr. Margaret Collins, for example, filled a major gap in knowledge between 1990-95 by cataloguing Cayman's termite species.

From historical times, amateur entomologists have always played an important role in cataloguing the insects of the world. Cayman today is no exception, and specimens in the Trust's Insectarium include many contributions from interested local naturalists. The collection is still at a very early stage, however, with specimens generally reflecting the interests of visiting scientists since the Insectarium was established. By 1996, there were extensive (but incomplete) collections of Hawk Moths, Beetles, Shore-flies, Hemipteran Bugs and Butterflies.

Last Updated: 26 Jun 2012