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Karin Verspui

Karin Verspui

As an entomologist I am most excited about researching insects like dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies and moths. In projects at Naturalis, I identify specimens, coordinate digitalisation and collectionwork, analyse data and collaborate on writing publications. The subjects for research are often dragonflies and damselflies, collected from different areas in the world (Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Philippines and New Guinea) but also plants and animals from the Caribbean islands Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. 

Keywords

Entomology, dragonflies, Odonata, Suriname, Philippines, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao

Drs. Karin Verspui

Projectcoordinator
Biodiversity Hotspots

karin.verspui@naturalis.nl

Research
interest

My interest is in reseaching natural history collections, both collected specimens and illustrations. The aim is to make the information from these collections availabele and use it for research concerning biodiversity and distribution patterns. The resulting publications offer a contribution to the knowledge of nature and to nature conservation.

Aeshna isoceles
River suriname

Current
topics

ABC-NHC

Aruba Bonaire Curacao Natural History Collections

The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes six islands, three of which are found off the coast of Venezuela: Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Well known for their marine biodiversity and widely regarded as heaven for diving and snorkeling the biodiversity of the…
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Notogomphus dragonfly

Odonata Collection

Odonata can be divided into two suborders: Anisoptera (true dragonflies) and Zygoptera (damselflies). In the collection, these subordes are intermingled and initial sorting takes place at the family level. Because the collection consists of insects on pin…
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River Suriname

Suriname Biodiversity Project

Few countries in the world have so much tropical rainforest as Suriname. Over 140.0000 square kilometers of forest intersected by only a handful of roads, with hardly any airports and with rivers acting as the main gateway. Information on the biodiversity…
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Key
publications

Verspui, K & M. Th. Wasscher 2016. The damselfly and dragonfly watercolour collection of Edmond de Selys Longchamps: I Agrionines. International Journal of Odonatology 19(3): 125-156.

Verspui, K. & M. Th. Wasscher, 2017. The damselfly and dragonfly watercolour collection of Edmond de Selys Longchamps: II Calopterygines, Cordulines, Gomphines & Aeschnines. International Journal of Odonatology 20(2): 79-112.

Verspui, K. & R. de Vos, 2023. Identificatie van vlinders en andere insecten op illustraties uit het achttiende- en negentiende-eeuwse Nederland. Entomologische Berichten 83(5):131-149.

Adamson, Q. R., K. A. Ginn, O. N. Fisher, K. Verspui & V. J. Kalkman, 2025. Identification and distribution of Indaeschna baluga (Odonata: Aeshnidae). Odonatologica 54 (1/2): 119-126.

Hermann, J., K. Verspui, R. Villanueva, S. de Win & V. J. Kalkman, 2026. Identification and distribution of the Philippine endemic Trithemis adelpha (Odonata: Libellulidae). International Journal of Odonatology 29: 87-94.

Verspui, K., M. Wasscher & P. van Horssen, 2026. Atlas van de libellen van Suriname. Bijlage 1 in M. Wasscher, 2026. Grasbarki, Libellen van Suriname. Brachytron 26 Supplement: 268-297.

 

For all publications see ResearchGate