The collection holds in excess of 1.5 million specimens including over 1000 primary and secondary types. The collection provides historical records of species with some material dating back to the 1930's. Several card index systems allow access to publications and specimens, and rapid identification of species from diagnostic drawings. There is also a departmental library holding journals and books and about 180 boxes of reprints. The collection covers the entire Afrotropical Region but active research and growth is largely restricted to the southern African subcontinent.
Research produces scientific and popular publications and identification guides.
Identification services on African aquatic insects, including material from other African countries, are offered. Additional lists of Aquatic Arthropods are included in Dr Martin Villet's web page. Departmental staff annually teach courses on aquatic entomology to undergraduate and postgraduate students at Rhodes University, Zoology and Entomology Department and students make use of the collection for research. Occasional workshops on identification techniques of aquatic invertebrates are run by the department. Staff assist with museum displays, give lectures to school groups and assist with school projects.