The State of Paraná has a very rich history in studies that contemplate biodiversity, being known nationally and internationally by its researchers, mainly in zoological taxonomy.

 

Taxonline currently has zoological collections deposited in institutions at the municipal, state and federal levels. They are collections of the Federal University of Paraná, the Natural History Museum of Capão da Imbuia, the State Universities of Londrina, Maringá and Ponta Grossa,
the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná and Embrapa Floresta. They represent several taxonomic groups: insects, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, ascidians, cnidarians, crustaceans and fish, among others.

 

The Padre Jesus Santiago Moure Entomological Collection is the largest collection in the Network and the third largest collection of insects in Brazil. It currently has approximately seven million specimens of all insect orders. Padre Jesus Santiago Moure was one of the greatest Brazilian naturalists and contributed decisively to the recognition of the State as one of the country's most significant forces in studies on biodiversity. He was the founder of the Department of Zoology at the Federal University of Paraná, in 1938, the year of the foundation
of the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of the same university. Despite being an entomologist, it was the starting point for Marine Biology in Paraná in 1951, having worked hard for the creation of a Sea Studies Station.

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From his studies in Insecta, more particularly bees, he founded the Padre Jesus Santiago Moure Entomological Collection (DZUP). Later, with the hiring of taxonomists in other animal groups, the number of zoological collections in the department increased, currently having collections of mammals, fish, sea squirts, crustaceans and cnidarians.