The arachnid fauna of Israel and its surroundings had been studied since the early 19th century by foreign specialists such as Audouin, O. P. – Cambridge and others. Prof. Aharoni, at the early 20th century, was the first local zoologist who collected spiders deliberately although he did not set up a local collection. It was only at the end of the 1920’s, following the foundation of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, that Prof. Shulov established a local arachnid collection of medical and agricultural importance. With the expansion of the collection staff in the early 1960’s, the collection started growing and an effort was made to collect specimens from Israel and the neighboring areas and to identify and study all arachnid orders. Since Dr. Levy became the collection curator, in the early 1970’s, it became the most comprehensive arachnid collection in the region, and a precious resource for arachnologists worldwide.
The collection includes valuable literature and specimens from all arachnid orders found in the region, including historical (Amitai, Costa, Feldman-Muhsam, Levy, Shulov, Theodor) and more recent collections: Acarina (Super order), Amblypygi, Araneae, Opiliones, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpionida, Scorpiones and Solifugae, and holds many types (mainly of Costa, Levy, Prozinsky, Shulov, Theodor).
In addition, the collection was the main source for material used for three Fauna Palestina books on arachnids:
Arachnida I: Scorpiones, Levy & Amitai, 1980.
Arachnida II: Araneae: Thomisidae, Levy, 1985.
Arachnida III: Araneae: Theridiidae, Levy, 1998.
Since 2014, Dr. Efrat Gavish-Regev is the collection manager and curator of Arachnida, in this last decade the laboratory of the arachnid collection is very active in studying and teaching evolution, ecology and systematics of arachnids, and many species new to science are being described by the collection staff.

The National Spider Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes thousands of specimens representing all spider families known from Israel - about 800 species in more than 50 families. Currently we are preparing an updated catalog for the spiders of Israel, including key to families. In the last year four species new to science were described, and more than 20 additional are in the process of being described.

The National Amblypygi Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes tens of specimens of the two known Sarax (Charinidae) species found in Israel. Recently we published a paper that deals with the evolution and distribution of the Sarax species in Israel.

The National Scorpion Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes thousands of specimens representing all 25 scorpion species of the three scorpion families known from Israel. In addition, several specimens of possible new species to science that will be identified / described soon by the collection staff are found in the collection. We expect five additional species new to Israel or new to science.  After solving these taxonomic questions, we will update the guide for Israel scorpions, written by Yoram Zvik and Dr. Efrat Gavish-Regev  from the National Arachnid Collection and by collaborators from the Israel Nature and Park Authority in 2018.
Currently we are preparing, in collaboration with Dr. Orr Comay from Hamaarag, Shlomo Cain from Tel Aviv University, Dr. Efrat Gavish-Regev and Yoram Zvik from the National Arachnid Collection, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ecological assessments for all the scorpion species of Israel, as part of the Invertebrate Red List of Israel.

The National Pseudocorpiones Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes hundreds of specimens representing over 50 species in 14 families. In the last year, as a result of intensive collection and taxonomic work by Dr. Sharon Warburg, in collaboration with Dr. Danilo Harms, two new family records were added to the family list of Israel, and at least ten possible new species to science will be described soon.
Currently, Sharon is preparing the Israel Pseudoscorpiones Catalog, that will include key to families.

The National Opiliones Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes hundreds of specimens representing over 20 species in 6 families.
Currently, we are preparing, in collaboration with Prof. Prashant Sharma, the Israel Opiliones Catalog, that will include key to families and species.

The National Solifugae Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes hundreds of specimens representing over 50 species in six families.
In the last year, as part of international collaboration led by Prof. Prashant Sharma, we collected fresh material and sequence the genome of several species from the historical collection and of the fresh material using UCE methods. As a result of this international collaboration, the first phylogeny of the order Solifugea, with the 12 known families, is being published. This collaboration will enable us to study the taxonomy and systematics of Israel Solifugae using advanced tools, and to publish in the future an updated catalog of the Solifugae species of Israel.

The National Palpigradi Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes few specimens of the genus Eukoenenia (Eukoeneniidae). New species to science are awiting formal description. 

The Historical National Mite Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes material collected by Michael Costa, in ethanol and as slides. Recently, Prof. Eric Palevsky and Mr. Eitan Recht , Associate Curators, are conducting taxonomic and faunistic studies. The collection includes representatives of tens of acari families.
Recently we started collecting fresh material for the purpose of molecular studies.
The collection also includes representatives of an undescribed species of Opilioacaridae from caves, collected recently.

The Historical National Tick Collection, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, includes thousands of specimens of the two common families found in Israel, the hard ticks (Ixodidae) and the soft ticks (Argasidae). Most of the material in the historical collection was collected by Prof. Bruria Feldman-Muzam, and Prof. Oscar Theodor.  Recently, Prof. Kosta Mumcuoglu, an Associate Curator, is conducting taxonomic and faunistic studies. The uniqueness of this historical collection is the link to the host animals where the ticks collected from. 
Recently we started collecting fresh material for the purpose of molecular studies.

The Hebrew University Centipede collection includes four orders:
Scutigeromorpha, Geophilomorpha, Lithobiomorpha, Scolopendromorph.
More than 700 cataloged items (some with more than one individual) all sorted by order and family, and 75% are identified to species level.
In the last decade, as part of an extensive study of the cave arthropod fauna of Israel, troglophile and troglobite centipedes were collected, awiting for the final identification to species level.

The Hebrew University Millipede collection includes several orders and families such as:
Polyxenidae, Glomeridae, Spirostreptidae, Strongylosomidae and Julidae.
Currently we sort, identify and catalog our specimens.
For more information on Millipedes we suggest to visit Prof. Petra Sierwald website millipedes-made-easy which includes introduction and Key for the Millipede orders in several languages (including Hebrew- translated by Dr. Efrat Gavish-Regev).
In the last decade, as part of an extensive study of the cave arthropod fauna of Israel, troglophile and troglobite millipedes were collected, awiting for the final identification to species level.

The Hebrew University Insect collections includes two historical sub-collections: the aquatic inland insect collection (a project that is still carried on by Dr. Chanan Dimentman), and the pollinator collection of Prof. Avi Shmida.
The importance of these historical collections is the documentation of insects from inland sweet water bodies that are not exist anymore, and the link to the plant and other ecological information in the pollinator collection that holds more than 5000 insect pollinators.

The terrestrial Isopoda collection is part of the large historical collection of aquatic Isopoda. In the recent decade the collection has been enlarged and includes specimens from caves in Israel.