Disciplines

Entomology

Citation Formats

General Reference

Science Atlas. "Entomology." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://science.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/entomology.

APA Style

Science Atlas. (n.d.). Entomology. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://science.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/entomology

BibTeX

@misc{scienceatlas-entomology,
  author = {Science Atlas},
  title = {Entomology},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://science.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/entomology},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Entomology is the branch of zoology that focuses on the scientific study of insects, including their classification, physiology, behavior, ecology and interactions with humans and other organisms.

Facts

Founded Year

1602 1

Dated to Ulisse Aldrovandi's De Animalibus Insectis (1602), commonly cited as the foundational modern text of scientific entomology.

Central Question

What accounts for the extraordinary diversity of insects, estimated at more species than all other animal groups combined, and how do they mediate the pollination, decomposition and disease transmission on which the rest of the biosphere depends? 1

Scope

Entomology is the scientific study of insects, the largest class of animals on Earth by species count, covering their classification, physiology, behavior, ecology and relationship to human agriculture and disease. 1

Significance

English entomologist William Kirby, whose 1815 to 1826 work An Introduction to Entomology helped popularize the subject, is often called the father of British entomology; the field grew rapidly in the nineteenth century alongside the broader rise of systematic natural history. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections