INVERTEBRATES Hall in Regional Natural History Museum - Plovdiv

   The first exposition entitled “Exhibition of invertebrate animals” was set up in 1955. The exhibited specimens included sponges, cnidarians, worms, mollusks, arthropods, and echinoids. The exhibition contained mainly materials from the former French college.
   The permanent exposition of the museum was opened in 1960, further enriched with Bulgarian materials found mainly in the vicinities of Plovdiv. The exposition in “Invertebrates” Hall was entirely renovated, exhibiting specimens of almost all invertebrate species.
   The central showcase with exotic mollusks (clams, snails, corals, sponges, etc.) taken from the Caribbean Sea was set up in 1974. This is one of the richest collections in Europe and the only one of its kind in Bulgaria.
   In 1985, due to the availability of a rich collection of exotic mollusks, a new hall called “Sea bottom” was opened as part of this section.
   In 1988, the entire exposition was renovated in accordance with a new thematic plan. It involves a board showing the Phylogenetics of invertebrates and another one of Protozoa, unicellular organisms (Gastropods, Flagellates, Sporozoans, and Infusoria). Representatives of corals include Sea feather (Penatulla rubra), Sea fan (Eunicella cavolinii), Red coral (Corallium rubrum), Disc coral (Fungia sp.), etc. More than 147 species are exhibited in the exposition. As for the Poriferans, of particular interest is the Sponge (Euspongia officinalis).
   Among all specimens there are 18 representatives of the freshwater and marine fauna - Snails (Gastropoda class) and Mollusks (Lamellibranchia), 5 of which are freshwater species and 12 are marine species. The group is completed by a collection of exotic specimens.
   Another interesting group is the Cephalopoda, represented by Squid (Ommastrephes sp.), Octopus (Octopus vulgaris), Loligo (Loligo sp.), and Nautilus (Nautilus sp.).
   Crustaceans (Crustacea) represent one of the big groups of the “Invertebrates” section. There are twenty-one species exhibited in the showcase, among which Hermit crab (Eupagulus prideauxi), Sea spider (Macropoda longirostris), Manti shrimp (Squilla mantis), European lobster (Astacus gammarus), Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus), etc.
   Arachnida are arranged in a separate vitrine. Scorpions are represented by the two species found in Bulgaria - Euscorpius carpathicus and Euscorpius italicus. These are medium-sized species of the Arachnida class equipped with a poisonous gland and a sharp sting. The exotic scorpions are represented by two species inhabiting Libya. The big group of spiders found in Bulgaria is represented by 16 species. Some of the more typical ones include Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), Tarantula (Lucosa vultusa), Earth tiger (Argiope bruennicni), Cardinal spider (Tegenaria parietina), etc.
   The biggest group – “Insects” (Insecta), is represented by almost all orders found in Bulgaria. The exposition contains more than 1,200 insects. Coleoptera and Lepidoptera are best represented. The specimens include representatives of the world’s exotic butterfly fauna.
   There is a special section allocated for protected invertebrates represented by 11 species – Longicorn (Rosalia alpina), Ground beetle (Calosoma sycophanta), Inquisitor (Calosoma inquisitor), Mountain apollo (Parnassius apollo), Stag beetle (Lucanus arvis), European rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis), etc.
Referring to the exotic Coleoptera, of particular interest is the Goliath beetle (Goliathus giganteus), the biggest representative of the beetle species, inhabiting the area of Equatorial Africa.
The exposition is further replenished with color photographs, illustrating the natural environment of the exhibited specimens.