The purpose of this paper is to present a prototype, which was developed using an ARC/INFO software, for the informatization of Butterflies' Collection of the "Departamento de Zoologia da Universidade Federal do Paraná".

Eight geographical areas, considered as representative of the several natural environments wich still exist in Paraná, southern Brazil, were selected for the collection of insects. This data collection formed pan of the "Survey of the Entomological Fauna in Paraná State" (henceforth Profaupar). These areas were sampled using a light trap (Esalq's model) (Silveira-Neto & Silveira 1969) throughout a single year from August, 1986, until July, 1987. The families of Coleoptera captured were analyzed according to Palma's classification.

An introduction to the topic of biological data bases is provided, including some important bibliography, allied with our personal experience with the common available software. We focused taxonomic data not only big collections, but individual projects with particular organisms and more specific approaches