Max Barclay Scientist
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 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 Pachyteles barclayi Deuve, 2005 Platynus barclayi Schmidt, 2009Scarabaeidae Ixorida (Pseudomecinonota) barclayi Legrand, 2008 Gynaecoserica barclayi Ahrens, 2009 Clinterocera barclayi Legrand & Chew, 2010 Copris (Sinocopris) barclayi Ochi, 2010 Protaetia (Macroprotaetia) maxwelli Jakl, 2011 Madecorphnus barclayi Frolov, 2012Cantharidae Themus (Haplothemus) barclayi Svihla, 2006Heteroceridae Tropicus maxwelli Skalicky, 2010Limnichidae Phalacrichus max Ribera & Hernando, 2001Scirtidae Scirtes maxi Yoshitomi & Ruta, 2010Psephenidae Falsodrupeus barclayi Lee, 2011Buprestidae Endelus barclayi Kalashian, 2011Lycidae Sulabanus barclayi Dvorak & Bocak, 2007 Alyculus barclayi Palata & Bocak, 2012Coccinellidae Serratibia barclayi Gordon, Canepari & Hanley, 2013Nitidulidae Pocadius barclayi Cline, 2005Latridiidae Cartodere barclayi Rücker, 2012Anthicidae Tomoderus barclayi Telnov, 2005Ischaliidae Ischalia barclayi Young, 2011Tenebrionidae Eurychora barclayi Ferrer, 2003 Amarygmus barclayi Bremer, 2004 Pseudopodhomala barclayi Medvedev, 2004 Ulomina barclayi Grimm, 2004 Enicmosoma barclayi Ferrer, 2005 Chariotheca barclayi Masumoto 2006 Tauroceras barclayi Ferrer, Soldati & Delatour, 2005 Goniadera barclayi Ferrer, 2007 Pseudonautes barclayi Ando, 2007 Laena barclayi Schawaller, 2009 Othryoneus barclayi Ferrer, 2010 Phylan barclayi Ferrer, 2010 Hexarhopalus (Leprocaulus) barclayi Purchart, 2010 Phymatosoma barclayi Masumoto & Akita, 2010 Blaps barclayi Martínez-Fernández & Ferrer, 2012Oedemeridae Nacerdes (Xanthochroa) apicipennis barclayi Svihla, 2011Cerambycidae Trypogeus barclayi Vives, 2007 Melanesiandra barclayi Santos-Silva, 2011 Acutandra barclayi Bouyer, Drumont & Santos-Silva, 2012 Colobeutrypanus barclayi Monné & Monné, 2012 Clytellus barclayi Miroshnikov, 2014 Chrysomelidae Cyrtonota maxhowardi Sekerka, 2011 (named for Max and his colleague Howard Mendel)Anthribidae Pseudobasidissus barclayi Tryzna & Banar, 2014Rhynchitidae Rubroinvolvulus barclayi Legalov, 2009Brentidae Stereodermus barclayi Mantilleri, 2004 Perapion barkleyi Alonso-Zarazaga, 2011 [sic]Curculionidae Tychius barclayi Caldara, 2011 Heisonyx barclayi Borovec, Colonelli & Osella, 2009 Pachycerus barclayi Meregalli, 2009as well as the wasp Platygaster barclayi Buhl, 2011