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Donations of specimens to the Montréal Insectarium

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Ornithoptera victoriae
Photo: Insectarium de Montréal (René Limoges)
Ornithoptera victoriae.

The Insectarium can accept donations from individuals and institutions, which help to further knowledge about entomology or biodiversity and education. The Insectarium reserves the right to refuse any collection or donation that does not correspond to its collections policy. As its storage space is relatively limited, the Insectarium is selective with regards to its acquisitions.

Procedure for Donating Specimens

The donor (individual or institution) must submit a list of the insect species and specimens that he wishes to donate to the curator. The curator will examine the lists, quality and conservation status of the specimens, analyze their relevance to the Insectarium and recommend whether they should be acquired. Once a donation is accepted, the curator begins the administrative process of acquisition. The donor and the Insectarium sign a donation agreement. The value of the donation is calculated by external evaluators, according to an evaluation grid developed by the Canadian National Collection of Insects(CNC). For specimen lots whose value exceeds $20,000, the city’s executive committee must give its final approval.