Max Barclay
Encyclopedia
Maxwell V L Barclay, usually known as Max Barclay, is a British entomologist, and Curator and Collections Manager of Coleoptera and Hemiptera
at the Natural History Museum
in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and a member of the Editorial Board of The Coleopterist
journal. He has been described as ‘one of Britain’s leading entomologists’
Barclay is one of one of the four virtual ‘Scientist Guides’ of the Natural History Museum
’s new Darwin Centre and was among the group that showed the building to Prince William at its 2009 opening. He is a frequent public speaker and media spokesman for entomology and for the Museum, most notably appearing in three of the six episodes of the 2010 BBC Series 'Museum of Life' presented by Jimmy Doherty
. He believes that public speaking is important ‘to enthuse the next generation of scientists and naturalists, and to legitimise what we do in the eyes of the public”. In 2008 he was involved in the identification of a species of bug
new to Britain in the Museum’s garden which led to a great deal of media interest.
In the scientific world, Barclay is best known for his work on beetles (Coleoptera), and is author of numerous scientific papers and co-editor of a text book on the subject. A lifelong entomologist, He worked as a volunteer in the Department of Entomology for several years before being offered the post of Curator in 2001. The collection of the Natural History Museum
that he manages includes more than 20,000 drawers of beetles, including specimens collected by Joseph Banks
, Charles Darwin
and Alfred Russel Wallace
. He has travelled extensively in search of specimens, including to Bolivia
, Peru
, Taiwan
and Thailand
, and has discovered numerous new species. More than 20 beetles have been named in his honour by fellow scientists, including:
Carabidae
Scarabaeidae
Cantharidae
Heteroceridae
Limnichidae
Psephenidae
Lycidae
Nitidulidae
Anthicidae
Ischaliidae
Tenebrionidae
Cerambycidae
Brentidae
Rhynchitidae
Curculionidae
and he cites Gerald Durrell
as a significant influence.
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
at the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, and a member of the Editorial Board of The Coleopterist
The Coleopterist
The Coleopterist is a UK-based journal for specialists in coleopterology .First published in March 1992, it is the successor to the Coleopterist's Newsletter, which originally appeared in 1980....
journal. He has been described as ‘one of Britain’s leading entomologists’
Barclay is one of one of the four virtual ‘Scientist Guides’ of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
’s new Darwin Centre and was among the group that showed the building to Prince William at its 2009 opening. He is a frequent public speaker and media spokesman for entomology and for the Museum, most notably appearing in three of the six episodes of the 2010 BBC Series 'Museum of Life' presented by Jimmy Doherty
Jimmy Doherty (farmer)
Jimmy Doherty is a Suffolk based farmer and television presenter for the BBC, famous for the show Jimmy's Farm, based around his and his partner Michaela Furney's Essex Pig Company.-Biography:...
. He believes that public speaking is important ‘to enthuse the next generation of scientists and naturalists, and to legitimise what we do in the eyes of the public”. In 2008 he was involved in the identification of a species of bug
Heteroptera
Heteroptera is a group of about 40,000 species of insects in the Hemiptera. Sometimes called "true bugs", that name more commonly refers to Hemiptera as a whole, and "typical bugs" might be used as a more unequivocal alternative since among the Hemiptera the heteropterans are most consistently and...
new to Britain in the Museum’s garden which led to a great deal of media interest.
In the scientific world, Barclay is best known for his work on beetles (Coleoptera), and is author of numerous scientific papers and co-editor of a text book on the subject. A lifelong entomologist, He worked as a volunteer in the Department of Entomology for several years before being offered the post of Curator in 2001. The collection of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
that he manages includes more than 20,000 drawers of beetles, including specimens collected by Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
, Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
and Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
. He has travelled extensively in search of specimens, including to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and has discovered numerous new species. More than 20 beetles have been named in his honour by fellow scientists, including:
Carabidae
- Platynus barclayi Schmidt, 2009
Scarabaeidae
Scarabaeidae
The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite...
- Ixorida (Pseudomecinonota) barclayi Legrand, 2008
- Clinterocera barclayi Legrand & Chew, 2010
- Copris (Sinocopris) barclayi Ochi, 2010
Cantharidae
- Themus (Haplothemus) barclayi Svihla, 2006
Heteroceridae
Heteroceridae
The Heteroceridae, or variegated mud-loving beetles, are a widespread and relatively common family of beetles. They occur on every continent except for Antarctica....
- Tropicus maxwelli Skalicky, 2010
Limnichidae
- Phalacrichus max Ribera & Hernando, 2001
Psephenidae
- Falsodrupeus barclayi Lee, 2011
Lycidae
Lycidae
Lycidae is a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called net-winged beetles.Beetles of this family are elongated and usually found on flowers or stems. The adults of some species are nectarivores while some may have short-lived adult lives during which they may not...
- Sulabanus barclayi Dvorak, M. & Bocak, 2007
Nitidulidae
- Pocadius barclayi Cline, 2005
Anthicidae
- Tomoderus barclayi Telnov, 2005
Ischaliidae
- Ischalia barclayi Young, 2011
Tenebrionidae
- Tauroceras barclayi Ferrer, Soldati & Delatour, 2005
- Hexarhopalus (Leprocaulus) barclayi Purchart, 2010
- Othryoneus barclayi Ferrer, 2010
- Pseudopodhomala barclayi Medvedev, 2004
- Enicmosoma barclayi Ferrer, 2005
- Laena barclayi Schawaller, 2009
- Goniadera barclayi Ferrer, 2007
- Phymatosoma barclayi Masumoto & Akita, 2010
- Phylan barclayi Ferrer, 2010
Cerambycidae
- Trypogeus barclayi Vives, 2007
- Melanesiandra barclayi Santos-Silva, 2011
Brentidae
Brentidae
Brentidae is a cosmopolitan family of primarily xylophagous beetles also known as straight-snouted weevils. The concept of this family has been recently expanded with the inclusion of three groups formerly placed in the Curculionidae; the subfamilies Apioninae, Cyladinae, and Nanophyinae, as well...
- Stereodermus barclayi Mantilleri, 2004
Rhynchitidae
Rhynchitidae
The tooth-nosed snout weevils receive this name due to the teeth on the edges of their mandibles. They are small beetles that are usually found on low vegetation....
- Rubroinvolvulus barclayi Legalov, 2009
Curculionidae
Curculionidae
Curculionidae is the family of the "true" weevils . It was formerly recognized in 1998 as the largest of any animal family, with over 40,000 species described worldwide at that time...
- Heisonyx barclayi Borovec, Colonelli & Osella, 2009
- Pachycerus barclayi Meregalli, 2009
Personal life
Barclay is married with children. As a teenager he worked as a volunteer at the Durrell Wildlife TrustJersey Zoological Park
Jersey Zoological Park or Jersey Zoo is a zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and author Gerald Durrell . It is now officially called Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust after its founder, or Durrell for short...
and he cites Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell
Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter...
as a significant influence.