Laboratory of Insect Taxonomy — Department of lower Paraneoptera

Department Website (In Russian)

The staff of the department studies morphology, taxonomy, evolution, cytogenetics, and reproductive biology of archaic groups of paraneopteran insects: booklice, thrips, and also representatives of sternorrhynchoid branch of homopteran insects: aphids, coccids, psyllids, and whiteflies. The main part of the collection of the department is represented by slides and alcohol material of coccids and aphids. Since the beginning of the 20th century, constant positions for the staff working with these groups existed at the Zoological Institute; these positions were occupied by specialists-taxonomists of the world rank, founders or successors of corresponding Russian-speaking scientific schools: N.V. Nasonov, A.K. Mordvilko, N.S. Borchsenius, G.Kh. Shaposhnikov, E.M. Danzig. They, and also their numerous followers from different regions of Russia and the former USSR concentrated the richest in the world collection of Palaearctic species and one of the four largest world collections (together with museums in London, Paris, and Washington). At present, two staff specialists work in the department: I.A. Gavrilov-Zimin (coccids and aleyrodids) and A.V. Stekolshchikov (aphids), and also collection keeper M.A. Berlina. E.S. Labina (psyllids) and N.V. Golub (booklice) are curators of the collection on volunteer basis. PhD student V.I. Rozhina works on composition of the collection of thrips.

Staff

Ilya A. Gavrilov-Zimin (Head of Department, Leading Researcher, Doctor of Biological Sciences)

Maria А. Berlina (Senior Collection Keeper)

Andrey V. Stekolshchikov (Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences)